I scarcely dare believe the news we've received from Iran.
I scarcely dare believe the authorities have committed the error, the
insane and irreparable misdeed of arresting Sakineh's own son, Sajjad,
as well as her attorney, Houtan Khian.
I scarcely dare believe that the regime is so unsure of its case, so
afraid of seeing the truth -- that is, the innocence of Sakineh -- exposed in the light of day, that the simple act of
granting two German journalists an interview could have motivated this
raid, this collective punishment, this hostage-taking.
I scarcely dare imagine -- in truth, I cannot imagine -- the intellectual
contortions Iranian "justice" will have to go through to justify such
an extreme, arbitrary act, like nothing we have seen since the early
days of the Islamic Republic, like nothing we have seen anywhere
except, perhaps, in North Korea or, long ago, in China during the
Cultural Revolution, or Cambodia.
Are they going to explain that Sajjad, a young ticket taker on the
buses of Tabriz, the adolescent whose father was murdered and who is
fighting to have his mother freed is, he too, suspected of murder?
Of complicity in the murder of his own father? Of complicity, while
they're at it, in the adultery his own mother is accused of? What
insanity are they going to invent? What Ubuesque charges are they
going to produce this time? Or will they simply tell us that the
papers of the two journalists from Bild were not in order, that they
were in the country without professional visas, and that this is what
entitled a commando of Basiji to lock up everyone, in utter disregard
for international law and diplomatic practice, as well as pure and
simple reason?
As I write these lines, the news of the arrest of Sajjad and of Houtan
Khian has not as yet been fully confirmed.
The German government, for its part, is trying to elucidate the
circumstances of this bizarre and incredible incident. But 'incident'
isn't really the word.
There is no incident in this ongoing tragedy that has been called "the
Sakineh affair".
And, on this day after the World Day Against the Death Penalty,
in this world where the mere idea of stoning incites feelings of
absolute horror in all our consciences, we must, more than ever,
repeat: Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is guilty of nothing; Sakineh
Mohammadi Ashtiani should be exonerated. They must put and end to this
lugubrious masquerade of the persecution of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani
that has been going on for six years. And they must, for the time
being, provide us with news of Sajjad, her son, and of Houtan Khian,
her attorney. And if they have been incarcerated, they must be freed
at once.
The Probable Arrest of Sakineh's Son and Her Lawyer
by Armin Arefi, French journalist and author
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's son, Sajjad Ghaderzadeh, and her attorney,
Houtan Khian, were apparently arrested by Iranian authorities in the city of Tabriz while being interviewed by two German journalists, we learned yesterday afternoon from Mina Ahadi, spokeswoman of the International Committee Against Stoning, who was translating the
interview by telephone from Frankfurt (Germany).
"Sajjad (Ghaderzadeh) had accepted to grant this interview on the
condition that it take place in the office of the attorney, Houtan
Khian. I was in the middle of translating the interview when a
disturbance occurred, around 5:00 PM. The German journalist asked what
was going on and was forced to hang up. Since then, the cell phones
of Sajjad, Houtan Khian, and the two journalists have all four been
switched off."
La Règle du jeu, in permanent contact with Sakineh's son and her
lawyer, have tried, in vain, to call Sajjad Ghaderzadeh and Houtan
Khian since yesterday afternoon.
This morning, Sajjad Ghaderzadeh's family confirmed that Sakineh's son
did not come home last night. As for the office of Houtan Khian, it
has been closed by the Iranian authorities. At this time, no one knows
where the four men have been taken.
According to Mina Ahadi, who spoke with the German Foreign Affairs
ministry, the German journalist and the photographer who were
conducting the interview did not return to their hotel either.
If confirmed, the arrest of Sajjad and of Houtan Khian, who have
remained the last two sources of information concerning Sakineh as they
courageously dared to break the silence, despite intimidation on the
part of the government, would be a tragic piece of news, but also a
cruel confession of guilt on the part of an Iranian justice system that
will henceforth stop at nothing to silence any voice expressing the
disturbing truth.
Houtan Khian, Sakineh's attorney, was summoned by the Iranian
Intelligence ministry and subjected to a severe interrogation, obliged
to stand for twelve hours, in an effort to make him shut up about the
state of his client. Iranian intelligence has also threatened to have
him disbarred if he does not obey their orders.
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, 43, condemned to death by stoning for
adultery, still risks being stoned at any moment. She has been locked
up in the «special quarter» of the prison of Tabriz since August 11th
and has been denied any contact with her attorney and her son since
that date.
Where do you have your head. Greater crimes happen right in France. Even more heinous crimes happen on a daily basis in Israel.
How can you compare, arrest of 2 people (if that happened) with killing fields of Cambodia. Being a person of jewish faith of north african origin doesn't give you a license to marginalize the killing fields of Cambodia. Your love of war and killing is just absurd and repugnant. Any nonsense would do for you, as long as there are wars.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/077/2010/en/74790acb-477a-4993-bb67-059bd26abd1e/mde130772010en.html
"Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two, is held on death row in Tabriz Prison, north-west Iran, and could still face execution. Around 7 July, following international protests, officials in Tabriz asked the head of Iran’s judiciary to agree that her sentence of stoning to death be converted to execution by hanging.
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was convicted in May 2006 of having an “illicit relationship” with two men and received 99 lashes as her sentence. Despite this, she was then also convicted of “adultery while being married", which she has denied, and sentenced to death by stoning."
[me again] Since the international outcry, IRI has arrested one of her original lawyers, kidnapped some of his family, and he eventually fled to Norway; detained her son, Sajad; and dragged her on television for a Stalinesque self-renunciation and 'confession.'
When reporting on objective facts vilifies a nation, please don't blame the messenger but the government itself which is responsible. Unfortunately for IRI, they can't just arrest reporters who write about this story nor shut down the media that report it like they do within their borders. The international human rights campaign for Ashtiani hasn't issued threats, but they have and will continue to shine light on her case and publish the details.
As for the question "Who benefits from this campaign?" the answer is a woman sentenced to death for adultery.
There are three stages: demonization, increasing sanctions and isolation, and war. The usual pattern.
The day they stop doing and saying stupid and cruel things - THAT will be news!
Not sure but Aafia Siddiqui was abducted along with her kids by the US.
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/articles/whos_afraid_of_aafia_siddiqui/
I lose faith in our race more and more with every passing day.
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/articles/whos_afraid_of_aafia_siddiqui/
The source of embarrassment for the Iranian authorities is twofold. One is that the adultery conviction was unsound under Islamic law because there were no witnesses. What must seem as bizarre to you as it does to me, the continued intransigence, the arbitrary arrests, deportations and lingering threat to execute Sakineh, appears to boil down the protecting the reputations of three judges. Apart from that, the slow-moving legislature, on the verge of taking stoning off the books, is deliberately delaying changing the law just to make a statement that they don't like outside "interference". If they feel like they are perceived to act because we are outraged, imagine how it could embolden Iranians to protest, riot or revolt? This is a regime under threat, psychologically in the trenches. You are surprised this happened? We're talking about the same people who put Mr and Mrs Mousavi under house arrest for being...popular!
As for the snipes at you for your criticism of the Iranian authorities - ignore them. I'm grateful to know what's going on with this case. Do keep us posted.
Where was the outrage over the execution of the mentally deficient woman in Virginia? Could it be that, since the state of Virginia is not perceived as an obstacle to a certain "I" nation (not Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, or Ivory Coast, by the way) achieving total military dominance vis a vis its neighbors, the woman in question just doesn't matter? It is interesting how the highlighting of human rights violations follows a definite geographical pattern, which follows a line of most resistance to the hegemonists.
Where? I didn't realize her lawyer was arrested nor that she was sentenced to death because she committed adultery. If you're going to argue for putting our heads in the sand, at least get your facts right.
Where? There was plenty of outrage over the Virginia case; not enough of course but still there. I for one wrote to the Governor asking for clemency as did plenty of other anti-death penalty citizens in America and abroad. I welcomed and encourage international outrage over the death penalty in America as opposed to your sophomoric attempt to make this a contest and pleading for tunnel vision for Americans.