Iran: Muslim woman forgives man who blinded her

Ameneh Bahrami

An Iranian woman who was blinded in both eyes when a man threw acid at her, forgave her attacker today - hours before he was due to have been blinded himself as a punishment, the Iranian state television company reports on its website.

"With the request of Ameneh Bahrami, the acid attack victim, Majid Movahedi who was sentenced for 'qesas' ('eye for an eye'-style justice) was pardoned at the last minute" after she decided to forgo her right, it said.

Majid was sentenced in February 2009 to be blinded in both eyes after being convicted of throwing acid in the face of university classmate Ameneh when she refused his proposal of marriage.

Ameneh she pardoned her attacker because "God talks about 'qesas' in the Koran but he also recommends pardon since pardon is greater than 'qesas'."

"I struggled for seven years for this verdict to prove to people that the person who hurls acid should be punished through 'qesas,' but today I pardoned him because it was my right. I did it for my country, since all other countries were looking to see what we would do," she added.

Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi welcomed her decision, describing it as 'courageous'. He confirmed that if she hadn't pardoned Majid, the Iranian legal system would have carried out the blinding sentence in hospital in the presence of an eye specialist and judiciary representative."

Ameneh has instead asked for Majid to fund the costs of her medical treatment. She has been undergoing medical treatment in Spain and has serious injuries to her face and body.

The Shariah code in force in Iran calls for retributive justice, most commonly for murder or for those convicted of causing intentional physical injury.

Amnesty International has been campaigning for a stay of the sentence, which it described as "a cruel and inhuman punishment amounting to torture."

Source: Amnesty International/IST