Background
Hoda Jabari was 22 when she fell in love. She had met the man at college in Iran. The couple decided that they should get married.
However, their love was forbidden by the man's family. His stopped the marriage, and two years later he ended up marrying someone else. Nevertheless, Hoda and the man continued to see each other in secret.
They were soon both arrested by the Iranian police. The officers gave Ms Jabari a virginity examination. She was suspected of participating in adultery, for which she could be stoned to death under Iranian law.
With the help of her family, Hoda was released a few days later. Still under threat of stoning, she fled to Istanbul. Hoda tried to seek asylum in Turkey, but her request was denied because it had been made too late. The Turkish authorities were about to send her back to Iran when she appealed to the European Court of Human Rights for help.