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Iran judiciary halts woman's stoning 'for now'
 Iran's judiciary says the controversial stoning sentence for a woman convicted of adultery will not be implemented for now.Malek Ajdar Sharifi, the top judicial official in the province where the woman was convicted has told the state news agency the sentence "will not be implemented for the time being." "Although the verdict is definitive and applicable, the verdict has been halted due to humanitarian reservations and upon the order of the honorable judiciary chief and it will not be carried out for the moment," Sharifi, head of the judiciary in East Azerbaijan province, told IRNA. He added that her crimes were "various and very serious" and not limited to adultery. The woman, Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two, had been sentenced to death by stoning after she was found guilty of adultery by an Iranian court, a ruling that has sparked outcry in Western countries. But Sharifi said the move was temporary and her death sentence could be carried out as decided by the judiciary chief, Sadeq Larijani. "Whenever the judiciary chief deems it expedient, the verdict will be carried out regardless of Western media propaganda," Sharifi said. Posted by: Fred 2010-07-12 |
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