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<DIV><B>From:</B> <A title=marcybloom@comcast.net
href="mailto:marcybloom@comcast.net">Marcy Bloom</A> </DIV>
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<TD><A href="http://www.womensenews.org"></A> Death sentences imposed
on three Iraqi women have spurred international concerns about the conduct
of their trials and the abrogation of international prohibitions against
the death penalty for new mothers, Cynthia L. Cooper reports today.
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<P>Iraqi Women's Death Sentences Spur European Outcry </P>
<P><I>By Cynthia L. Cooper<BR>WeNews correspondent</I>
<P> (WOMENSENEWS)--In Frankfurt, Germany, protestors planned to erect
a scaffold and post a woman under it with a rope around her neck. In
Stockholm, Sweden, and Ankara, Turkey, protestors gathered in front of the
Iraq embassies.
<P>These events, hastily-announced in the past two weeks, were to demand a
halt to pending executions by hanging of three young women in Iraq.</P>
<P>The women--Wassan Talib, 31; Zaynab Fahil, 25 and Liqa' Qamar Muhammad,
26-- were charged with vague crimes of acting against the public welfare,
according to reports emerging from the war-torn country. Amnesty
International issued an "urgent action," asking members around the world
to send letters of protest, fearing that the executions were imminent.</P>
<P>The cases underscore worries by human rights organizations about the
sufficiency of the justice system in Iraq. Questions have arisen about the
fairness of proceedings, the lack of legal representation, transparency in
the justice system and use of the death penalty as well as the legitimacy
of the legal tribunals themselves.</P>
<P>"If the tribunal under which they were tried does not meet minimal
standards, it's bogus. It becomes a lynch mob," said Karen Parker, a
lawyer and co-founder of the Association of Humanitarian Lawyers in San
Francisco. Parker and her organization endorsed efforts of the Brussels
Tribunal, a multinational affiliation of human rights activists who
monitor Iraq, to block the executions. The tribunal is coordinated over
the Internet by leaders in varied locations.</P>
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<P><I>Cynthia L. Cooper is an independent journalist in New York with a
background as a lawyer. She writes frequently about justice
issues.</I></P>
<P>Women's eNews welcomes your comments. E-mail us at <A
href="mailto:editors@womensenews.org">editors@womensenews.org</A>.</P>
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<H2 style="FONT-SIZE: 13pt">For more information:</H2>
<P>Association of Humanitarian Lawyers:<BR><A
href="http://www.humanlaw.org/"
target=linkwindow>http://www.humanlaw.org/</A></P>
<P>Amnesty International Urgent Action:<BR><A
href="http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE140052007"
target=linkwindow>http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE140052007</A></P>
<P>The Brussels Tribunal:<BR><A href="http://www.brusselstribunal.org/"
target=linkwindow>http://www.brusselstribunal.org/</A></P><BR>
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