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DEATH PENALTY: Seven Women Face Stoning in Iran -- Inter Press Service News Agency |
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Alison Langley*
BERLIN, Sep 29 (IPS) - Amnesty International has issued an urgent
appeal calling on its members to write letters to the Republic of Iran
asking them not to stone seven women.
Nearly all of the women have been sentenced to die by stoning
for adultery. Officially Iran had placed a moratorium on the cruel and
painful practise in 2002, but Amnesty claims sentencing continues. The
group has received credible reports that two people were stoned to
death in May.
The United Nations Human Rights Committee has ruled that
treating adultery and fornication as criminal offences does not comply
with international human rights standards.
"The sentence of execution by stoning for adultery breaches
Iran's commitment under article 6(2) of the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights that death sentences will be imposed ‘only
for the most serious crimes'," Amnesty wrote in its appeal.
Under Shari'a law, a prisoner is buried up to her breast, her
hands restrained. Rules also specify the size of the stones which can
be thrown so that death is painful and not imminent. Both men and women
can be sentenced to die by stoning. In practise, however, an
overwhelming number of women receive that penalty.
"It's high time this brutal practise ends. Not only are people
deprived of their right to life by the state but they are tortured in
the process," Nicole Choueiry, Amnesty's Middle East press officer,
told IPS.
"Iran should review its legislation as a matter of urgency to
bring it into line with international human rights standards," she
added.
According to an independent legal analysis of the country's
penal code, Iranian judges are required to issue these mandatory
sentences. Rarely, IPS sources inside Iran said, are these sentences
carried out.
One lawyer, who asked not to be named, told IPS that the head
of the judiciary, Ayatollah Shahroudi, frequently has been able to
postpone executions. He does not, however, have the authority to
commute death sentences to life imprisonment.
In addition to the seven women mentioned in the latest report, Amnesty
earlier issued reports of two other Iranians also allegedly at risk of
being stoned.
According to Amnesty, Parisa A. received her execution
sentence while working as a prostitute in the city of Shiraz. She
claims she had been forced into prostitution by her husband due to her
family's poverty. Her sentence was upheld by a branch of the Supreme
Court in November 2005. Her case is under review by the high court.
Iran E., an Ahwazi Arab from the Bakhtiari clan, was sentenced
to be stoned for adultery. Her verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court
in April.
Khayrieh V., another Ahwazi Arab, was reportedly subjected to
domestic violence by her husband when she allegedly began an affair
with one of his relatives, who then murdered her husband, the Amnesty
report said. She has denied any involvement in the murder but has
admitted to adultery.
The Supreme Court has upheld her sentence and the case now apparently
has been sent to the Head of the Judiciary for permission to be
implemented. Amnesty quoted her as saying, "I am ready to be hanged,
but they should not stone me. They could strangle you and you would
die, but it is very difficult to have stones hitting you in the head."
Shamameh Ghorbani (also known as Malek), was sentenced to die
by stoning for adultery in June after relatives killed a man they found
in her home. Her case is being re-examined.
Kobra Najjar, 44, is at imminent risk of execution, Amnesty
said. She claims to have been forced into prostitution by her husband,
a heroin addict who was violent towards her.
"In 1995, after a severe beating by her husband, she told one of her
regular customers that she wanted to kill her husband. The customer
allegedly murdered her husband after Kobra Najjar took him to an
arranged meeting place. The customer was sentenced to death, but he was
pardoned by the victim's family, to whom he paid blood money," Amnesty
added.
Soghra Mola'i was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment for
being an accomplice to the January 2004 murder of her husband Abdollah
and to execution by stoning for adultery. She claims her lover killed
her husband. Her boyfriend has been sentenced to hang for the homicide,
after receiving 100 lashes for "illicit relations."
In May 2005, a Tehran court sentenced Fatemeh, whose surname
is unknown, to pay retribution for being an accomplice to murder, and
to be stoned for having an "illicit relationship" with a man named
Mahmoud. Her husband has been sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment as an
accomplice to the murder. Her case is under review with the Supreme
Court.
In addition to these women, Amnesty officials said the human
rights group was concerned about the fates of Ashraf Kalhori and Hajieh
Esmailvand, also convicted of adultery and sentenced to be stoned.
* Kimia Sanati in Tehran contributed to this report.
(FIN/2006)
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=34939
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