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Iran stoning woman 'confesses'
An Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for allegedly committing adultery has reportedly appeared on state television to "confess" her crime. In an interview broadcast Wednesday night, a woman identified as Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani admitted to conspiring to murder her husband with the man's cousin, with whom she had been having an affair.The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting channel blurred the woman's face and dubbed her words from Azeri Turkish into Persian, so it was impossible to tell if the woman was actually Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two, or what condition she was in. But Houtan Kian, a lawyer currently representing Ashtiani in Iran, told the Guardian newspaper that she was "severely beaten up and tortured until she accepted to appear in front of camera". Kian said he feared that the judiciary would now act quickly to carry out Ashtiani's death sentence. A source close to Iran's judiciary said that Ashtiani will "probably not be executed during Ramadan" - which lasts until September 9 - and that there is a "small possibility" her execution will be revoked. But her case must still be heard by the country's supreme court, our reporter noted. Ashtiani's previous lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaie, fled Iran this month after Iranian officials issued an arrest warrant for him. He is currently in Norway, while his wife remains in Iran and has been detained. Ashtiani criticised Mostafaie in the broadcast. Ashtiani's case dates back to 2006, when she was given 99 lashes after pleading guilty to the crime of having an "illicit relationship" with two men. An inquiry into whether Ashtiani had in fact committed "adultery while married" was opened later that year, as the government pursued the prosecution of one of the two men for allegedly also being involved in Ashtiani's husband's murder. Posted by: Swanimote 2010-08-13 |
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