Friday, December 17, 2010
Publish date: September 05 • Printable version    

Iran gives 99 lashes to woman facing stoning




Sajjad Ghaderzadeh, son of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, Iranian woman sentenced to stoning, reports that his mother now faces another sentence of 99 lashes for the charge of “indecency.”

The Times of London reports that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s son has reported that the judiciary has charged her with “spreading corruption and indecency” because The Times of London ran a picture of an unveiled woman on its August 28 cover identified as Sakineh Mohammadi.

Mina Ahadi, head of the Committee Against Stoning and Execution, announced that the photo is of Sousan Hejrat, an Iranian living in Sweden. She added: “As soon as we noticed the case, we immediately announced that the photo did not belong to Mrs. Ashtiani through Aftonbladet newspaper.”

Two days ago, The Times of London apologized for the error but this has made no change in the decision of Iranian judiciary so far.

Sajjad Ghaderzadeh maintains that the new sentence is issued to further harass his mother.

A 43-year-old mother of two, Mohammadi Ashtiani was sentenced to 99 lashes in May of 2006 for having illicit relations with two men. After the sentence was carried out, in her husband’s murder case, she was charged with adultery and sentenced to stoning by death.

In the past months, an international campaign to stop her sentence from being carried out was followed by the suspension of the stoning. However, the international publicity has angered Iranian authorities, who maintain that the case in an internal matter.

Iran’s Judiciary High Council of Human Rights has announced that the suspension of the stoning has been due to their own efforts and added that they are pursuing “special solutions” for the case.

Your comment

(your comment will be published after review by the moderator. )


Name:

(Your e-mail address will not be published anywhere and will not be used for any other purpose)