In Iran, this woman's testimony would not suffice to prove anything.
In the Iranian legal system, the testimony of one woman alone is not sufficient to convict a man of non-consensual sexual intercourse.
Rape is prosecuted under the category of Zina-e-Be-Onf (non-consensual sexual intercourse), which is a hadd crime (a crime against God with fixed punishments). Because of this classification, the evidentiary standards are exceptionally high and favor the accused.
To prove rape and secure a conviction (which carries the death penalty for the perpetrator), our law requires at least one of the following:
- Four Male Witnesses: Testimony from four "just" (righteous) men who witnessed the act of penetration.
- A Combination of Genders: Some articles allow for three men and two women, or two men and four women (in specific circumstances), but women's testimony is generally valued at half that of a man.
- Confession: The perpetrator must confess to the crime four separate times before a judge.
- Knowledge of the Judge (Elm-e-Qazi): A judge can convict based on circumstantial evidence (DNA, forensic reports, or video) if it leads to "certainty".
www.mediaite.com
