November 18, 2016
A 28-year-old Iranian woman has described in detail the lashing she was given in Mashhad after being convicted of attending a party where alcohol was served.
The unnamed woman’s story was posted on the Facebook page My Stealthy Freedom, which has campaigned against the state dress code.
The woman said she was sentenced to receive 80 lashes.
“The day when I headed to the prison so that they could lash me was the worst day of my life,” the post reads.
She said a middle-aged woman accompanied by a younger one “entered the room and asked me what my crime was.”
She was ordered to strip down to one layer of clothing. Then her feet were chained and her hands were shackled.
“I remember catching a glimpse of the thick hands of the woman who was about to lash me,” the post says. “I instinctively thought that she would perhaps be merciful with me and refrain from hitting me hard.”
Yet, with the impact of the first lash, “I jumped out of my place uncontrollably. Every time she hit me hard, she would ask me to repent so that God would forgive me.
The woman goes on to say she was being punished simply for celebrating a friend’s birthday and was treated like a complete criminal.
