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Currently, in Iran, there are nine
women sentenced to death by stoning on charges of adultery, compared to
two men for the same offence -- highlighting the fact that this barbaric
mode of execution is primarily a women's issue.
By: Kimia Sanati,
Inter Press Service (IPS) Although it
seems that the dominant view within the judiciary is in opposition to
stoning, the Stop Stoning Forever campaign activists believe that it is
necessary to point out cases where stoning has been practiced, or replaced
with hanging as a punishment for adultery, and hence emphasize once more
the urgency to abolish stoning as a legal punishment. By: Stop Stoning
Forever Campaign Our emphasis is on
the proofs required for a stoning sentence. More clearly we have
seen that our clients are strictly punished based on the judges
‘knowledge’ which is one of the methods of proof in the Islamic republic
punishment rules. A judge’s ‘knowledge’ is one of the methods of
proving a stoning verdict.
By: Interview with
GholamHossein Raesi/Lawyer In 2002, her punishment came very
close to being implemented and there were even leaflets published and
distributed in Jolfa by the Judiciary. The public were invited to
participate in stoning Hajieh on August 1, 2002, at 4:00 pm at the prison
in Jolfa. The execution was to be attended by the city officials:
all arrangements had been made. But as a result of the intellect and
awareness of the execution judge and the perseverance of Hajieh’s family,
the Head of the Judiciary ordered a stay of stoning. Now, after four
years, her innocence has been proven in the court.
By: Interview with
Bahareh Davalloo/Hajieh Esmalivand’s Lawyer The
Haji bit his lips and tried to swallow his mocking laughter. He then
said: "My sister, why don't you understand that a law taken from the
Shari'a cannot be suspended forever? When we say suspending the verdict,
we mean that the execution of the verdict needs to be halted temporarily
due to the necessities and conditions in place. But this is not a
permanent halt. Whenever the necessities and conditions are taken
care of, the verdict will once more be executable." By: Mehrangiz
Kar this campaign has been publicised
mostly over Internet web sites and foreign media outside Iran. This
in reality has made it a political environment for us inside Iran. The
censorship of the stoning issue is so high that no internal media will
agree to publicize the subject
By: Interview with
Shadi Sadr Women's rights activists in Iran
have called on the head of the country's conservative judiciary and the
parliament to end the stoning to death of convicted adulterers. Under
pressure from the European Union, Iran was said to have introduced a
moratorium on stonings in 2002, under pressure from the European Union.
But activists accuse judges of perpetuating the practice.
By: Golnaz Esfandiari
Amnesty
International names seven women who are at risk of execution by stoning in
Iran and urgently appeals to the public to write to the Iranian officials
and ask them to commute the stoning sentences. By: It is not always the case that the
families forgive or call for the acquittal of the convicted person, in
many parts of the country not even the families of the convicted will let
go of the punishment much less the families of the murdered
victims. By: Interview with
Asieh Amini /By: Soheila Vahdati They perform the ablution
(ceremonial washing of the body) and cover her body in a white cloth “a
kafan”, and then they bury the woman in a hole in the ground up to her
chest. Next, they will throw rocks at her head until she
dies.
By: Shadi Sadr
I remember vividly, it was near the end of winter of 1998, it was cold
outside and grounds were covered in snow. I had just been transferred from
a temporary jail to the prison. It was my first year of incarceration.
They transferred me to room number 5; a room with approximately 30 other
occupants of various ages. By: Anonymous |
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Petition to Eradicate the Law of
Stoning
