Roya Nobakht
"Roya Nobakht, 47, presently being detained as a political prisoner in Iran, may face execution for insulting Islam. She has lived in Stockport, England with her husband for the last six years and holds dual British-Iranian citizenship. Her husband, Daryoush Taghipoor, has stated that his wife was arrested while visiting a friend at Iran's Shiraz airport last October for comments she had made on a Facebook group calling the government of Iran 'too Islamic.' According to a copy of her charge sheet seen by the UK's Independent; she was transferred to Tehran and charged with 'gathering and participation with intent to commit crimes against national security and insulting Islamic sanctities'-- crimes punishable by death. In an interview, Mr. Taghipoor told the Manchester Evening News that 'his wife is not well at all...she has lost three stones [42 lbs]... and is scared that the government will kill her.' He also said that a confession had been extracted from his wife 'under duress.' As is well documented, torture is systematically used by Iranian authorities to obtain confessions from political dissidents and even from some common prisoners. Ms. Nobakht's fears are not unfounded."