Human rights defender sentenced to 33 years and 148 lashes

When it comes to religious belief, I try not to be judgemental. After all, if it's harmless and gives people comfort, why condemn it.

Organised religion is a different story, often trying to impose its teachings and practices on society. We see this in many countries, in particular the US. This is especially so where there is no separation between state and religion. One such country is Iran.

According to Amnesty International, prominent Iranian human rights lawyer and women’s rights defender Nasrin Sotoudeh has been sentenced to 33 years in prison and 148 lashes. "The charges, which are in response to her peaceful human rights work, include “inciting corruption and prostitution”, “openly committing a sinful act by... appearing in public without a hijab” and “disrupting public order”."

More details here.