Mr. Speaker, as part of Iran Accountability Week, parliamentarians are highlighting the efforts of the global Iranian political prisoner advocacy project. Canadian parliamentarians are paired with Iranian political prisoners, on whose behalf they advocate.
Last year, I sponsored Hamid Ghassemi-Shall, who was released. This year, I am paired with Ms. Reyhaneh Jabbari. Ms. Jabbari continues to be at risk of imminent execution for defending herself and killing her attacker, who was attempting to rape her. She is only 26 years old and has been in Tehran’s Evin prison since 2007.
On the day of her attack, she was abducted under the guise of a professional meeting, was poured a drink and told that she had no way of escaping. Ms. Jabbari tried to defend herself and, during the struggle, stabbed her attacker and fled. Her attacker later died. Lab analysis showed that the drinks contained sedatives. Ms. Jabbari was arrested and thrown in Evin prison. She was tortured until she confessed to the murder, and was given the death penalty.
This is just another travesty of justice in Iran, and a flagrant abuse of human rights. I call on President Rouhani to exercise clemency, stay her execution and suspend her sentence.