Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani

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Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani (Persian: سکينه محمدي آشتياني, Azerbaijani: Səkinə Məhəmmədi Əştiani, born 1967) is an Iranian Azeri woman who has been on death row in Iran since 2006. Her controversial case become internationally known in 2010 after high profile reports that she was convicted for the crime of adultery and sentenced to execution by stoning. Following these reports, the Iranian judiciary denied pieces of this story, explaining that she was convicted for murder, and rejected reports that Ashtiani will be stoned to death.[1] An international campaign started by her children has sought aid in overturning her sentence and brought attention to her case.

Trials

She was first tried on May 15, 2006, by a court in Tabriz, pleading guilty to the crime of "illicit relationship" with two men, though the incident occurred after the death of her husband. She was sentenced to whipping of 99 lashes, which was carried out.[2]

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 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 doesn't speak Persian, but instead only Turkish.[3][4] Malek Ejdar Sharifi, head of East Azerbaijan Province's judiciary said "She was sentenced to capital punishment...for committing murder, manslaughter and adultery."[5][6] 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.[2]

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," leaving open the possibility of execution by another method.[1] Reporters in Iran have been banned from reporting on the case.[7] Her original lawyer, Mohammed Mostafaei, had to go into hiding in the country on July 26, 2010, and then sought asylum internationally, first in Turkey, and then Norway.[8]

On August 4, 2010, the Iranian authorities told Mohammadi Ashtiani's current lawyer, Houtan Kian, that Ashtiani still faces death by hanging.[9] On the same day, Teheran's High Court rejected a reopening of the trial and instead considered Tabriz prosecutor's demand to execute Ashtiani. Her case was subsequently transferred to the deputy prosecutor-general Saeed Mortazavi.[10] On August 12, 2010, Ashtiani was televised from Tabriz prison on a Iranian state run television program which showed her confessing to adultery and involvement in a murder. Her lawyer claimed she was tortured for two days prior to the interview.[11]

International campaign

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.[12][13] Calls to stop her execution came from leading human rights groups Avaaz, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch as well as from several high-profile celebrities.[14][15][16][17] A petition was created in support of her release, and has been signed by several additional prominent activists.[18]

On July 31, 2010, the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said he would ask the Iranian leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to send Mohammadi Ashtiani to Brazil, where she could receive asylum.[19] According to the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, the Brazilian ambassador in Teheran was directly instructed to communicate their asylum proposal to the Iranian government.[20] Iranian officials responded by suggesting that Lula had "not received enough information about the case."[21] U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton mentioned Ashtiani in a declaration on August 10, 2010, urging Iran to respect the fundamental freedoms of its citizens.[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Iran denies stoning claims". PressTV. July 9, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Iran: Prevent Woman's Execution for Adultery". Human Rights Watch. July 7, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  3. ^ "Iran delivers an ambiguous reprieve". The Irish Times. July 10, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  4. ^ "Iranian Woman Will Not Be Stoned, May Still Be Killed". Newsweek. July 9, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  5. ^ "Iran's judiciary suspends stoning sentence against woman". The Hindu. July 12, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  6. ^ "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)
  7. ^ Dehghan, Saeed Kamali. "Iran imposes media blackout over stoning sentence woman", The Guardian, July 9, 2010.
  8. ^ Somra, Gena (July 28, 2010). "Lawyer in Iran stoning case in hiding to avoid arrest, supporters say". CNN. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  9. ^ "Iran stoning case lawyer arrested in Turkey after escaping across border". The Guardian. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  10. ^ "Tabriz prosecution demands Ms Ashtiani's execution". International Committee Against Stoning. August 4, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  11. ^ Dehghan, Saeed Kamali (August 12, 2010). "Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani 'confesses' to involvement in murder on Iran state TV". The Guardian. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
  12. ^ "Iran execution of woman temporarily halted, state media reports". CNN. July 11, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  13. ^ "DC: Protests Outside Iranian Interests Building: Stop the Stoning of Sakineh Ashtiani". Responsible for Equality And Liberty. July 3, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  14. ^ Akin, David (July 10, 2010). "PM's wife opposes Iranian woman's death sentence". Toronto Sun. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  15. ^ "Halt stoning of Iran 'adulterer' - Human Rights Watch". BBC News. July 7, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  16. ^ "Celebs Pressure Iran on Stoning". The Sun. July 8, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  17. ^ Gibson, Megan (July 9, 2010). "An Iranian Woman's Unlikely Supporter: Lindsay Lohan". Time Magazine. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  18. ^ Harris, Jonathan Daniel (August 4, 2010). "The 'Free Sakineh' Mohammadi Ashtiani Movement Spreads Through Petitions And Letters". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  19. ^ Lula apela ao líder do Irã para enviar condenada à morte por apedrejamento ao Brasil, Folha Online, July 31, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  20. ^ "Lula assina 'contrariado' decreto com sanções ao Irã, diz Amorim". Rede Globo (in Portugese). August 10, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2010.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  21. ^ "Iran snubs Brazilian asylum offer for stoning woman". The Guardian. Associated Press. August 3, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  22. ^ "Urging Iran to Respect the Fundamental Freedoms of its Citizens". www.state.gov. Aug. 10, 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

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