Iran Snapshot: The Flogging of Somayeh Tohidlou

On Wednesday, Somayeh Tohidlou, a Ph.D. student in sociology at Tehran University, was given 50 lashes for "insulting the President".

The sentence has been hanging over Tohidlou, a supporter of Mir Hossein Mousavi, since the days after the disputed June 2009 Presidential election, when she was arrested for participating in protests. She was lashed in Evin Prison, her hands and feet reportedly chained.

On Thursday, groups inside and Iran condemned the flogging. The Social Science Faculty of Tehran University issued a statement that authorities "were intent on playing the scourge of humanity and humiliating their opponents", lashing "the voice of innocence".

Click to read more ...