Iranian Woman Will Not Be Stoned, May Still Be Killed

Newsweek:

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the Iranian woman whose impending execution ignited worldwide outrage this week, will not be stoned to death, the Iranian Embassy in London told reporters on Thursday. She could, however, still face death by other means such as hanging.

Read the whole story: Newsweek

Comments

[MelRoy]

05:51 AM on 07/11/2010

To make something perfectly clear. This woman was not convicted of adultery under Islamic law. She was convicted of adultery under Iran's penal code. Islamic (sharia) law requires at least the testimony of four reliable witnesses (five if witnesses are women). In this case, the judges actually DEFIED Islamic law by exercising "hodud".

The mandatory death penalty (stoning) was construed by Umar (second Caliph of Saudi Arabia) to have been "missing from the scripture". "I fear that in time to come men will say that they find no mention of stoning in God's book..." But there is more:

"...'By Allah, we do not find the Verse of the Rajam in Allah's Book, and thus they will go astray by leaving an obligation which Allah has revealed. And the punishment of the Rajam is to be inflicted to any married person (male & female), who commits illegal sexual intercourse, if the required evidence is available or there is conception or confession."

In this case, there was no evidence and the confession was beaten out of her and later retracted.

[wwoody]

02:53 AM on 07/10/2010

Iran need to become part of the modern world, and stop living in the stone age. Where the world human rights committee on these matters. this regime want Nuclear weapons, and they haven't discover fire yet....and they want us to trust them ....no way ...that I could never trust them.

[Behnaz Tavakoli]

03:49 AM on 07/10/2010

Iran has a modern society and educated people.

The picture of Iran in your barin has nothing to do with reality.

Watch Iran official English channel to adjust your prescription about Iran.

http://www.presstv.com/llnw/

[Gregor53]

09:16 AM on 07/10/2010

I use to think that myself and I have always tried to keep an open mind of other cultures. However, I no longer feel that way about Iran. If it were modern and had educated people, they would figure out a way to eliminate the slime running their government.

[wwoody]

10:26 AM on 07/10/2010

They may very well have society of modern an educated people in Iran, but its not reflected
in their culture and their deep seeded belief.

[evagorman]

04:13 AM on 07/10/2010

wwoody, Behnaz is right. This incident and others aside, Iran is not in the "stone age" although I'm not a big fan of state run Press TV, I will recommend that you have some fun familiarizing yourself with Iran. Maybe start with Rick Steves' documentary about Iran. You can find it on youtube in sections, I believe. The travel show Globe Trekker has also done an Iran show.

For understanding Iran society I like Iranian American author Hooman Majd who wrote The Ayatollah Begs to Differ. His new book is due out this fall. Stephen Kinzer's brand new book "Reset" will give you a very good idea at how the west has interfered w/ Iran's business since the turn of the century.

There are tons of good books, videos and resources to show you that Iran is a place people still love and want/hope someday to return to.

[wwoody]

10:39 AM on 07/10/2010

I'm planning to buy Stephen Kinzer new book this fall, thank you for 411 . Someone need to " Reset" their belief, their latest action has trump everything.

[evagorman]

02:24 AM on 07/10/2010

The very latest on her situation:

"Mohammad-Javad Larijani, secretary-general of Iran’s Council for Human Rights, said while the verdict was ‘under revision, it did not mean that the judiciary would submit to foreign pressure.

‘Stoning to death exists in our constitution and our judiciary cannot change its course just because of pressure and campaigns by the West,’ Larijani told official news agency IRNA.

‘But the judges in our country only seldom refer to this sentence and also in this case such a sentence could either be revised or even amended, especially as another court had sentenced her to lashes,’ he said."

http://iraninquirer.com/2010/07/iran-might-revise-stoning-sentence-against-woman-official-says/

[wereeverywhere]

02:28 AM on 07/10/2010

Good hunting to find that article. Obviously the human rights outcry has reached poor Larijani's ears.

[wilray]

02:09 AM on 07/10/2010

I certainly don't mean to make light of this woman's situation. However, reading the headline sounds like a twisted Good News / Bad news scenario.

[Talossa]

01:23 AM on 07/10/2010

So if she's electrocuted or shot for confessing under torture to having had sex, this is supposed to reassure us about the benign nature of the Islamic Republic?

[MelRoy]

04:40 PM on 07/11/2010

There's no proof that she committed adultery. Three out of the five judges "assumed" she did. In Iran, they can do that.

[Manhajsadiqeen]

01:22 AM on 07/10/2010

In the Muslim world, adultery is a major sin! And one major sin is not tolerated as it is in the west! We don't know all the particulars and evidence, except for the vacating the four witness rule in cases of adultery, know in the shari'ah as 'zeena'! If it true that two men have been executed in this case, I just wonder what evidence did the Iranian shari'ah court obtained! If this was done by confusions or torture, I just don't know! Many in the west have been almost accustom to adultery and sexual misadventures almost to a fault. There is no good that comes out of these kind of relationships outside the marriage or before the marriage. We see in the west what these sexual misadventures have brought their societies, nothing but trouble, STD's and AIDS. So, in Iranian society that have made it clear that this kind of behavior is unwanted and violations of this kind would be jealousy protected. Again, under the shari'ah, and as a Muslim, I cannot condemn this woman or the other two men involved unless I have all the facts. The way of life of the west and in Muslim lands there are stark differences and they are obvious and pronounced! Those in the west could not fathom living in a society where sexual misadventures is prohibited! Lastly, in marriage there is no rules to frequencies of marital relations, but those that seek out pleasure outside the marriage risks their lives

[wereeverywhere]

01:55 AM on 07/10/2010

Oh, thanks for making clear why this woman was tortured with 99 lashes. And why gays are executed. Enjoy worshiping the god of barbarism and justifying the human sacrifices he receives.

[ThinkCreeps]

02:33 AM on 07/10/2010

You stupid neanderthal (no offense intended to neanderthals).

[TimHS]

12:56 AM on 07/10/2010

Boy I sure am happy that they decided not to stone her to dead. Clearly these people have moved out of the middle ages. Perhaps we should offer then a lethal injection setup and they can move right into the 21st century. How do we deal with these people?

[ThinkCreeps]

02:34 AM on 07/10/2010

Education.

[samhaydenjr]

11:42 PM on 07/09/2010

There's a scene in The Shawshank Redemption where Tim Robbins' character, after writing a letter a week to his local state senator for months lobbying for materials for a prison library, finally receives some boxes of second-hand books and records. When a prison officer asks him "what will you do now" he answers "I think I'll write two letters a week". We are at a similar point. The Iranian regime seems to have been shaken by the global response to the fate of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani and have felt the need to claim that there will be no stoning or that there was never going to be a stoning and that stonings are very rare etc. But they haven't said that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani will not be executed.

So again, as I have urged in previous comments (although, sadly, many have chosen to ignore me), if you actually care about human rights, please set aside your squabbles and self-serving opinions for this issue and quite simply go and sign the petition (if you wish to do more, I encourage you to do so) at http://freesakineh.org/

[blutigeroo]

02:20 AM on 07/10/2010

Thanks.

[Jeremy Urbach]

10:02 PM on 07/09/2010

And we are supposed to trust this regime with Nuclear weapons....right.....can't wait to live under sha'aria law...or as liberals call it..." Progress"

[blutigeroo]

10:12 PM on 07/09/2010

Which country do you live in? America? There is absolutely ZERO evidence to indicate that Sharia law is to replace the current judicial system in the US.

[Jeremy Urbach]

10:19 PM on 07/09/2010

Funny..you assume I think that Sharia Law will replace American Judicial Laws...but just look at what is going on in England where they are allowing Sharia Law the full power of high judicial power....this is a supposedly progressive society and yet they have acquiesed to allow an abusive legal code jurisidiction in their society...I don't think it would ever happen here in the United States but i meant my statement as sarcasm because the usual progressives love to defend the very un-progressive Iranian regime.

[Manhajsadiqeen]

01:27 AM on 07/10/2010

This is true to an extent! The State of Oklahoma, just passed a bill prohibiting the use of the shari'ah in cases dealing with Muslim couples. From what I have gathered, there have been some States that have used a limited versions of the shari'ah to adjudicate certain Islamic cases.

[Manhajsadiqeen]

01:08 AM on 07/10/2010

There are vast differences in Shi'ah shari'ah laws than Sunni shari'ah. There also are many issues that divide us, so don't confuse one for the other. And by the way, I bet you have no knowledge of what shari'ah actually entails?

[Talossa]

01:25 AM on 07/10/2010

It entails chopping off people's hands and killing them for having sex.

[wereeverywhere]

01:58 AM on 07/10/2010

It entails lunacy, an anti-humanism, and barbarism.

[luvobama]

09:52 PM on 07/09/2010

Folks, this is what you get when you let religion take over your government.

It's B. A. D.

The creepy and the crazee rule.

[Kassandra]

09:43 PM on 07/09/2010

And, of course, the man gets off Scot free

[blutigeroo]

10:16 PM on 07/09/2010

No, the 2 men have already been killed.

[Cannonball Taffy O Jones]

09:37 PM on 07/09/2010

It is no surprise that Iran, a country with a truly horrific history of juvenile executions, should try to present their changing of Sakineh Ashtiani’s method of execution from stoning to hanging as a humanitarian gesture.

Iran’s rulers have demonstrated a willingness to use the death penalty not only as a brutal method of social control but also a political one best and most horrifically exemplified by the 1988 mass execution of up to 20,000 political prisoners by Tehran.

Can anything more be expected from a government which draws its inspiration from and sets its moral compass by a literal understanding of a 1,400 year old book of myths and legends?

[luvobama]

09:39 PM on 07/09/2010

uh oh.

It almost sounds like our fundamentalists here in our own country.

Not good.

This is why we are SUPPOSED to have a separation of church and state.

Look at what happens!!

The government gets to take the lives of it's own citizens. YIKES!!

[blutigeroo]

10:19 PM on 07/09/2010

There is no evidence to indicate that she will be hanged or that another method will be employed to kill her. It is just propaganda-esque insinuation. Given that the amount of pressure being put on the Iranian regime with regards to Sakineh's case is huge, it is extremely unlikley that they will attempt hanging.

[Talossa]

01:25 AM on 07/10/2010

So international public opinion trumps the Word of Allah?

[luvobama]

09:36 PM on 07/09/2010

Oh goodie.

Maybe she can now receive a firing squad like they did in Utah.

Ahhhh. Our country keeps such nice company in our laws and punishment.

[veteran53]

01:04 AM on 07/10/2010

If you remember correctly that individual asked for a firing squad rather than lethal injection. I haven't read where this lady has asked for any type of punishment.

[luvobama]

01:11 AM on 07/10/2010

Oh goodie.

I feel so much better.

USA USA USA USA!!

[Peace is Possible]

04:58 PM on 07/10/2010

Yeah, that guy was a murderer. You love Obama for his middle name??

[JoeMentia]

09:33 PM on 07/09/2010

Its really a shame that oil was discovered under the land of the one of the most violent, oppressive and backwards cultures on the planet. If not for all that oil money, they'd still be living in mud huts and chopping off each other's heads from horseback. I pray for a green technology revolution just so we can let these barbarians return to the comfort of the 15th century.

[luvobama]

09:34 PM on 07/09/2010

WHAT is our oil doing under their sand???

[JoeMentia]

09:39 PM on 07/09/2010

ALL nations use oil, much of it from the Middle East, not just us.

[Talossa]

01:26 AM on 07/10/2010

As Golda Meir once said, "If Moses was so smart, why did he lead us to the only place in the Middle East without any oil?"

[blutigeroo]

02:19 AM on 07/10/2010

Or, why did Allah give oil to the Muslims?
However, having natural resources is as much of a curse as it is a sin for most countries that were not in the western club at the end of WWII and under the leadership of America.

[awarg]

09:28 PM on 07/09/2010

Gee, bet that's a load off her mind! Sorry, couldn't help myself.