Last week, Iran's Majlis ratified a bill under which any Muslim who converts to another religion would be put to death, with no possibility of pardon.
The bill was approved by a majority of 196 to 7, with two abstentions.
The few Iranian media outlets that covered the issue played down their reports, while on others, such as the Majlis website and the website of the conservative daily Resalat, the reports were removed after a few hours.
Under the bill, anyone declaring publicly that he was knowingly abandoning Islam of his own free will face the death penalty.
The bill is now in permanent force, after being extended every five years since its temporary ratification in 1991.
It should be noted that a ruling by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, states that any Muslim who converts to another religion is subject to the death penalty, but until now this ruling has not been anchored in civil law.
Source: Iran, Iran, September 10, 2008; Radio Farda, Europe, September 9, 2008
