Iran Woman With Stoning Sentence Shown On State TV
The stoning sentence against the 43-year-old Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has been put on hold and is now being reviewed by Iran's supreme court, but she still faces a possible death sentence by other means.
The outcry over the case is one of the latest thorns in Iran's relationship with the international community, as the U.S., EU and international human rights groups have urged Tehran to stay the execution.
A woman identified as Ashtiani said in the state TV report shown Monday: "I am a sinner." Her face was blurred and her words were voiced over in what the TV report said was a translation into Farsi from Azeri Turkish, which is spoken in parts of Iran.
The report also broadcast purported statements by two men whose faces were blurred that state TV identified as Ashtiani's son, Sajjad Qaderzadeh, and her lawyer, Houtan Kian, both of whom were arrested last month. It also aired comments from two Germans who were detained allegedly while trying to interview Ashtiani's family in October.
Ashtiani was convicted in 2006 of having an "illicit relationship" with two men after the murder of her husband the year before and was sentenced at that time to 99 lashes. Later that year, she was also convicted of adultery and sentenced to be stoned, even though she retracted a confession that she says was made under duress. Ashtiani has also been convicted of involvement in the death of her husband, whom Iranian prosecutors say was murdered. She could still face execution by hanging in the two cases.
Her family and lawyer have said in the past that Ashtiani was tortured while in custody.
In the state TV report, Qaderzadeh retracted his previous allegations that his mother was tortured, and criticized Kian and Ashtiani's previous lawyer -- who fled to Norway this summer -- for publicizing the case.
"He (Kian) told me to say she (Ashtiani) was tortured," Qaderzadeh said. "Unfortunately, I listened to him and said lies to the foreign media."
"I'm full of regret. I think if I had not known the two lawyers ... the case would have gone through its normal course," Qaderzadeh said.
Kian said he advised Qaderzadeh to lie to Western journalists.
"Saying lies to foreign media was my recommendation," Kian said. "Of course, these were prudent lies."
The broadcast of the purported statements appeared to be an attempt by Tehran to deflect international criticism of the case and focus attention instead on the West by accusing it of stirring up controversy over the case to damage the reputation of Iran's Islamic leadership.
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