Iranian woman faces death by stoning

international | rights, freedoms and repression | other press

Sunday July 04, 2010 13:56

by Sean Steele

Despreate appeal for Iranian woman due to be stoned to death

A 43-year-old Iranian woman is facing death by stoning unless an international campaign launched by her children forces the authorities to quash what her lawyer calls a bogus conviction.

Campaign for Iranian woman facing death by stoning

Iranian family say adultery conviction was bogus and that woman has already been subjected to 99 lashes

* Saeed Kamali Dehghan
* guardian.co.uk, Friday 2 July 2010 19.32 BST

A 43-year-old Iranian woman is facing death by stoning unless an international campaign launched by her children forces the authorities to quash what her lawyer calls a bogus conviction.

In a case that highlights the growing use of the death penalty in a country that has already executed more than 100 people this year, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was convicted in May 2006 of conducting an "illicit relationship outside marriage."

Sakineh already endured a sentence of 99 lashes, but her case was re-opened when a court in Tabriz suspected her of murdering her husband. She was acquitted, but the adultery charge was reviewed and a death penalty handed down on the basis of "judge's knowledge" – a loophole that allows for subjective judicial rulings where no conclusive evidence is present.

Speaking to the Guardian, her son Sajad, 22, and daughter Farideh, 17, say their mother has been unjustly accused and already punished for something she did not do.

"She's innocent, she's been there for five years for doing nothing", Sajad said. He described the imminent execution as barbaric. "Imagining her, bound inside a deep hole in the ground, stoned to death, has been a nightmare for me and my sister for all these years."

Under Iranian sharia law, the sentenced individual is buried up to the neck (or to the waist in the case of men), and those attending the public execution are called upon to throw stones. If the convicted person manages to free themselves from the hole, the death sentence is commuted.

Iran, embarrassed by the international attention over stonings, has rarely practiced it in public in recent years. But the country still executed 388 people last year – more than any other country in the world apart from China, according to Amnesty International. Most are hanged.

Tonight protesters gathered outside the Iranian embassy in London to demand Sakineh's release.

Five years ago when Sakineh was flogged , Sajad was 17 and present in the punishment room. "They lashed her just in front my eyes, this has been carved in my mind since then."

Mohammed Mostafaei, an acclaimed Iranian lawyer volunteered to represent her when her sentence was announced a few months ago. He wrote a public letter about her conviction shortly after. "This is an absolutely illegal sentence," he said. "Two of five judges who investigated Sakineh's case in Tabriz prison concluded that there's no forensic evidence of adultery.

"According to the law, death sentence and especially stoning needs explicit evidences and witnesses while in her case, surprisingly, the judge's knowledge was considered as enough," he said.

Mina Ahadi, a human rights activist in Germany who helped Sakineh's children to launch their campaign internationally has been in regular contact with Sajad and Farideh.

She said that after the campaign was launched last week, she received phone calls from the families of two other women kept in Tabriz prison, where Sakineh is, revealing that they are also convicted of adultery and sentenced to death by stoning. Azar Bagheri, 19, and Marian Ghorbanzadeh, 25, are their names, Ahadi disclosed.

"Azar was arrested when she was just 15. They couldn't punish her before she became 18 years old according to the law, so they waited until now … and want to stone her to death," Ahadi said. She has been subjected to mock stonings, complete with partial burial in the ground. "They're preparing her for the real one," said Ahadi.

Ahadi who has been following the stoning sentence in Iran over the past few years says that she is aware of the names of 12 other women who are sentenced to death by stoning in Iran at the moment.

"These are just the women I know, I estimate that at least 40 to 50 other women are waiting for the same destiny in Iran right now," she said.

"Stoning to death is not simply just a judicial punishment, it's a political means in the hands of the Iranian regime to threaten people. It has more function than just a simple punishment for them."

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Comments (20 of 20)

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Prtoest this state sanctioned barbarism

Sun Jul 04, 2010 14:21

Call the Iranian embassy in Dublin to let them know you oppose this misogynist barbarism

The telephone numbres are: (01) 2885881/(01) 2880252

More details for Iranian Embassy:

by John Cornford

Sun Jul 04, 2010 14:39

More details for Iranian Embassy:

Send emails, faxes and letters of protest to:

The embassy of the Islamic Republic of iran,
72 Mount Merrion Avenue, Blackrock, Co. Dublin,
iranembassy@indigo.ie
Tel: 01 288 5881 / 01 288 0252. Fax: 01 283 4246.

More information pertaining to impending stoning of Iranian Woman

by Marie-Thérèse O' Loughlin

Sun Jul 04, 2010 20:54

mariethereseoloughlin at yahoo dot ie

More very urgent information pertaining to impending stoning of Iranian woman. See here > http://dlvr.it/2J5HN

Stop Stoning Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani

by Greg T - IPSC+Labour Party (personal capacities)

Wed Jul 07, 2010 14:46

Protest Letter to Iranian authorities:
http://stopstonningnow.com/sakine/sakin284.php?nr=50326...ng=en
Personalising the letter and using polite language such as the salutation 'Your excellency' is probably the best way of getting it read.

The Iranian Ambassador

by Justin Morahan

Wed Jul 07, 2010 15:14

Thanks to Sean, John and Marie-Therese for the information concerning the pending threatened outrage on this dear woman.

I rang the Ambassador at the number given (288 5881) and he said they are receiving several communications and will pass on our concerns.

Please keep ringing and e-mailing at the numbers and address given above. The more communications they receive the more chance we have of stopping this stoning to death of a sister who so much needs our help and intervention.

Latest update re: Stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi

by Marie-Therese O' Loughlin

Fri Jul 09, 2010 23:33

"The authorities in Iran have announced that a woman convicted of adultery will not be stoned to death.

But it is not clear whether they have lifted the death sentence against Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who has been in prison in Tabriz since 2006.

The 43-year-old had already been punished with flogging for an "illicit relationship" outside marriage when another court tried her for adultery".

She could be executed instead?

BBC

http://dlvr.it/2SnNC

The opium of the Masses

by Atheist

Sat Jul 10, 2010 11:10

A woman is buried in sand up to her head and young males throw stones at her head until she is dead.
Religions are mind poison

Embassy call

by A Freeman

Sat Jul 10, 2010 16:12

I also rang the Embassy to complain about this barbarism on thursday, I wasn't impressed by the nonchalant attitude of the official I spoke to. While I had his attention I also raised the issue of the ongoing persecution of the Baha'i community in Iran, I wonder if the Irish government ever raises human rights issues with the Iranians?

Amnesty International

by Shanks_Pony

Sun Jul 11, 2010 05:21

Iran has an atrocious record of false conviction of women for adultery and fornication.

Amnesty International has long documented how women who are raped can be found guilty of being loose women or prostitutes. The perpetrators of these crimes against women get off scot free in the courts.

hmmmm

by lazy

Sun Jul 11, 2010 17:45

Iran was given the wonderful position of being welcomed by the UN to the CSW.

Thats the Committee for the Status of Women, this decision is most interesting in that
theocracies tend to tell women how they should be, rather than (of course) listen to
their needs and concerns.

I won't annoy anyone by adding in here details of the CSW, you are activists you should know
the addresses, I suggest a little letter to the CSW querying why a country with such an appalling
prison, view of women and record in the murder of women through their justice system should
be granted status in this arena.

I did.

(I was , of course referring to Evin Prison, that hell-hole where women's rights campaigners
tend to spend lots of tie thinking about why they are denied basic rights to debate and dignity.
In some parts of our world signing a petition can be a treacherous act. As such, the smaller
voices are condemned to create the illusion of wealth and power)

Stop Stoning and Sharia Laws! By Maryam Namazie,

Sun Jul 11, 2010 20:52

Stop Stoning and Sharia Laws! By Maryam Namazie, July 10, 2010

11 July is the International Day against Stoning – a day we would do well to mark especially given that Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani faces imminent death by stoning for adultery.

Appealing on her behalf, her two children have said: “Today we reach out to the people of the world. It is now five years that we have lived in fear and in horror, deprived of motherly love. Is the world so cruel that it can watch this catastrophe and do nothing?”

Don’t stand by and watch. Let’s end this once and for all.

To show your condemnation against stoning and support for Sakine, during the week of 5-11 July, take stones to your city centres, universities, media

… Read the rest http://richarddawkins.net/articles/486470-what-isn-t-wr...a-law

Not all Customs are Equal.

by Atheist.

Tue Jul 13, 2010 12:13

The British did at least some good in the world.

Hindus used to throw living wives on to the funeral pyres of their husbands.
The British said they would hang any man who did this.

When the Hindus protested "But this is our custom."

The British imperialists replied :

"But it is OUR custom to hang any man who throws a woman on a fire."

Public protests?

by Shoegirl

Tue Jul 20, 2010 13:01

shoegirl at gmail dot com

I understand that there are some street protests being organised to highlight this ladies case on the 22nd at 2pm. I'm getting this info from Maryam on her Facebook campaign. No details for Ireland.

Would anybody be interested? I think they are due to redeclare on the case tomorrow? For some reason it has been reopened?

There are a lot of similar cases right now being revisited and ever harsher punishments imposed on those already humiliated.
Another one they do aside from actual stoning is bury people up to their waists and threaten to stone them. Pretty frightening. I think we need to do a lot more to highlight this situation, Iran is very much at a crossroads right now.

Iran pressuring Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani

Thu Jul 22, 2010 22:53

Iran pressuring Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani

They are trying to make her name campaigners and tell her children to be quiet.

http://tinyurl.com/33cfwc5

Link & quote taken from:

again one wonders...

Fri Jul 23, 2010 11:28

Why the U.N saw fit to offer Iran a place on the CSW this April 29th 2010 ?

this move was interpreted as a consolation prize because Iran was denied the Human Rights Commission,
which about sums up the real problems with gender here : "you don't make the cut with general human
rights, someday you might BUT here join the CSW (as a theocratic entity) and help shape policy on
Women's Rights. Sure we'll turn a blind eye to the execution of women for perceived sexual 'crime' as
a matter of course"

That is what the UN has said to women, the issue of gender-policy is slight and *not* to be taken seriously.

(as it is not taken seriously anywhere where power is stolen from women and girls in order to
fluff up the self-importance of the male POV)

Olé

Arrest Warrant For Lawyer Mostafaei & His Wife Held For Ransom

by children_of_lir

Mon Jul 26, 2010 02:50

The latest news is that there is an arrest warrant for Sakineh's lawyer Mostafaei who is also a human rights activist. Hiis wife Fereshteh Halim and his wife's brother Farhad Halim are being held for ransom by the authorities to try and force Mostafaei to surrender.

Lawyer in Iran stoning case 'missing'

by Emily

Thu Jul 29, 2010 13:33

Yes, her lawyer is being persecuted.

Rights group Amnesty International has accused Iran of persecuting a lawyer involved in the high profile case of a woman sentenced to death by stoning.

Mohammad Mostafaei, who is defending the woman, was called in on Saturday for questioning at Tehran's Evin prison. Amnesty says he appears to have gone missing after his release.The authorities have since detained his wife and brother-in-law, it says.

Mr Mostafaei is a known critic of Iran's judicial system.He has defended many juvenile offenders, political prisoners and others sentenced to stoning.

Among his most high-profile clients is Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who was sentenced to death by stoning following a conviction for adultery.Although that threat was lifted earlier this month, she still faces execution by hanging.|

Typical Patriarchal Thinking

by Portia

Thu Jul 29, 2010 14:10

This demonising of women has now gone on worldwide for 5,000 years with his story telling us little of how the Patriarchs killed off as many women as they could and raped the others.

Patriarchal System in Ireland

Sat Jul 31, 2010 06:43

The patriarchal system is alive and well in Ireland, for example with our judiciary and medical "profession." Both *males *and females are being locked up indefinitely in Ireland for no reason. Please read below link about a young Irish woman who is locked up in Ireland because she might be promiscuous. Didn't the expose on the Magdalene laundries teach us anything? This despicable crime against a woman is down to Minister Mary Harney's lack of accountability and caring. Doesn't this sound like the repression in Iran under paternalistic Sharia Law?

Related Link: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0623/1....html

People do displace their powerlessness, that is, their lack of ability to control their own situation (e.g. what is happening in Ireland) by supporting causes further afield. This outcry against other countries' human rights abuses allows the individual to feel better about his/herself. They might not feel so overwhelmed by the gloom from within their own country and justify inaction by thinking "Isn't it worse overseas?"

Stoning Changed To Hanging

Sat Jul 31, 2010 13:37

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's sentence has been changed from stoning to hanging.

Related Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/30/iran-stonin...htani

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Iranian woman faces death by stoning

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