Paris, Oct 12: Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi has called for an end to Islamic punishments in her country and their replacement by modern penalties "as in all democratic countries". "Stoning, the amputation of limbs must be abolished," she told the French newspaper Le Monde yesterday in response to a question about what reforms she would like to see introduced in Iran.
"The age of majority, which at the moment is 13 for girls, 15 for boys should be modified.
It is essential because "it touches the freedom, life and safety of the population."
Ebadi, 56, a human rights lawyer is the first Muslim woman to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize and the first Iranian to receive any Nobel award.
She is due to return to Tehran, where her award has aroused a mixed reaction, on Tuesday, according to a human rights organisation in Paris, where she is staying at present and giving a round of interviews.
She told Le Monde that the Iranian Islamic Republic could not continue if it did not evolve and called for a change to the electoral law.
Bureau Report