[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 8, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S1884]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             IRANIAN WOMEN

  Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, I rise today to speak on an issue that 
resonates with all Americans, especially today--a day when the entire 
world celebrates International Women's Day, It is important to raise 
the issue of the oppression of women, in hope that public awareness 
will change these practices and this prejudice.
  I would like to specifically raise awareness of the plight of women 
in the Islamic Republic of Iran. In Iran, women are considered to be 
worth a half of a man and have extremely limited rights. It is the 
policy of the Government of Iran to deny women the opportunities that 
men are afforded.
  The current Iranian Government has rescinded laws that were 
implemented prior to the revolution regarding women's legal rights. 
This initiative against women's rights was justified by an edict that 
laws in conflict with Sharia Law had to be abolished. The edict 
resulted in a new set of restrictive laws for women.
  Women in Iran are severely oppressed, and their ability to speak out 
against current conditions is limited. While they can speak out, they 
face certain punishment for doing so. There are many examples of 
Iranian women, young and old, who have spoken out against the lack of 
opportunity for women in Iran. For example, Elham Afroutan is a 19-
year-old Iranian journalist who was arrested a few months ago because 
of an op-ed she wrote in a newspaper. She is now imprisoned in Tehran, 
and it has been reported that she has been brutally raped and tortured. 
Elham's parents have only heard from her a couple of times, and the 
Iranian Government has refused to give any updates on her condition.
  Also of importance is the case of Zahra Kazemi, the 54-year-old 
Iranian and Canadian journalist, who was arrested for photographing a 
demonstration outside Tehran's Evin prison. It is reported that while 
imprisoned, Zahra was tortured, raped, and later murdered. The Iranian 
Government later claimed that she committed suicide. The doctor who 
examined Zahra's body later determined that she died as a result of the 
beating and torture that she endured while imprisoned. After Zahra's 
family demanded an autopsy of her body, it was later discovered that 
the Iranian Government had injected Zahra's body with various chemicals 
so as to destroy her body and any evidence against her attackers.
  This oppression of Iranian women, and all women around the world, 
must end. Never should a woman feel afraid to walk out of her home, 
speak up, or voice her opinion. Never should a woman have less of an 
opportunity than a man.
  People around the world today, on International Women's Day, must 
unite behind one cause--equality, justice, and opportunity for all 
women.

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