Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani (Persian: سکينه محمدي آشتياني, born 1967—) is an Iranian Azeri woman who is on death row in Iran. She was first tried on May 15, 2006 by a court in Tabriz. Malek Ejdar Sharifi, head of East Azerbaijan Province's judiciary said "She was sentenced to capital punishment...for committing murder, manslaughter and adultery." [1] [2] She pled guilty after the death of her husband. She was sentenced to whipping of 99 lashes, which was carried out.[3]
In September 2006 her case was again brought up when a separate court was prosecuting one of the two men for involvement in the death of Mohammadi Ashtiani's husband. She was then convicted of murder, and adultery while still married, and sentenced to death by stoning. She later retracted her confession to this crime, claiming it was made under duress and that she she doesn't speak Farsi, but instead only Turkish.[4][5] The Iranian supreme court confirmed her death sentence on May 27, 2007, such that only a pardon from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could prevent the execution.[3]
A campaign by her two children succeeded in halting Mohammadi Ashtiani's imminent execution in July 2010, but not in overturning her death sentence. Protests occurred in London and Washington, D.C., among other cities.[6][7] Calls to stop her execution came from groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, and by Laureen Harper and actors Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Robert Redford, Lindsay Lohan, and Juliette Binoche.[8][9][10][11] Her current fate remains unknown.[12] The Iranian Embassy in London issued a statement that "According to information from the relevant judicial authorities in Iran, she will not be executed by stoning punishment," apparently leaving open the possibility of execution by another method (hanging is commonly used as method of capital punishment in Iran); reporters in Iran have been banned from reporting on the case.[13][14]
References
- ^ "Iran's judiciary suspends stoning sentence against woman". The Hindu. July 12, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
- ^ "IRAN: Judiciary official says woman to be stoned for husband's murder, not just adultery". LA Times. July 12, 2010. Retrieved July 14,2010.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b "Iran: Prevent Woman's Execution for Adultery". Human Rights Watch. July 7, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ "Iran delivers an ambiguous reprieve". The Irish Times. July 10, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ "Iranian Woman Will Not Be Stoned, May Still Be Killed". Newsweek. July 9, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ "Iran execution of woman temporarily halted, state media reports". CNN. July 11, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ "DC: Protests Outside Iranian Interests Building: Stop the Stoning of Sakineh Ashtiani". Responsible for Equality And Liberty. July 3, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ "Halt stoning of Iran 'adulterer' - Human Rights Watch". BBC News. July 7, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ Akin, David (July 10, 2010). "PM's wife opposes Iranian woman's death sentence". Toronto Sun. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ "Celebs Pressure Iran on Stoning". The Sun. July 8, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ Gibson, Megan (July 9, 2010). "An Iranian Woman's Unlikely Supporter: Lindsay Lohan". Time Magazine. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ Iran's Grim History of Death by Stoning, Mike Woolridge, BBC News, July 9, 2010
- ^ "Iran denies stoning claims". Press TV. July 9, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
- ^ Dehghan, Saeed Kamali. "Iran imposes media blackout over stoning sentence woman", The Guardian, July 9, 2010.