Iran’s Defenders of Human Rights Center released a statement on July 19 protesting a bill seeking to toughen punishment for crimes deemed to "disrupt public security" and to "intensify the scheme of punishment for disrupting the mental security of society."
The Majlis is set to ratify the bill, after ratifying the first step on July 2.
According to the statement, "the bill not only increases the number of crimes punishable by death, but also endangers the security of citizens if it is passed, given its deficiencies." The center criticized the bill for defining "malicious" acts as deserving of death, and noted that that another section of the bill establishes that "weblogs and sites promoting corruption and apostasy are deserving of capital punishment in the same way that crimes such as rape and armed robbery are."
Source: Rooz, Iran, July 21, 2008
