Human Rights

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, is an Iranian woman who has gained the attention of human rights world for a conviction of adultery and accompanying sentence of death by stoning.

Since 2006, she has been imprisoned and under a death sentence in Tabriz, Iran after being convicted of adultery An international campaign to overturn her sentence was started by her children through a letter about their mother's case which was published by the Iranian media.

 . The international publicity generated by Ashtiani's situation led to numerous diplomatic conflicts between Iran's government and the heads of certain western governments. As a result, her execution has been stayed indefinitely. Shortly after the international campaign began, various Iranian officials stated that Sakineh is also guilty of various charges related to the murder of her husband. She was convicted of "disrupting the public order" through complicity in murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison. It was reduced to 5 years on appeal. She was convicted twice of adultery in separate trials and sentenced to death by stoning.

 As of January 2011, her stoning sentence has been "suspended", and she remains in prison in Tabriz.

In December 2011 the Iranian authorities indicated that they intended to go ahead with her execution, but by hanging.
However, it has not yet been carried out, and Iranian officials afterwards denied that they intended to execute her. On 24 July 2012, Amnesty International stressed that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtianis fate is still unclear.

Adultery Law in Iran

The law states that unmarried adulterers will receive 100 lashes, and married adulterers will be sentenced to death by stoning.

To be convicted, the person either must confess to the crime, have 4 witnesses testify against him/her, or in some rare cases, the judges may use circumstantial evidence
If the person is repentant, the judge can give a reduced sentence of 99 lashes. In addition, the person may also spend 1 year in prison. The death sentence for that crime is almost never given, except in serious cases such as when the spouse died (which is what occurred in Sakineh's case). In January 2012, Iran officially changed their law, saying that adultery could be punished by hanging, rather than stoning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL5_us XNbUE