[AtLast]

Originally Posted by Greyson

The practice of Punishment of Death by Stoning I believe is inhumane. This particular case is not the first "Death by Stoning" sentence exposed for the entire world to become aware of such misrepresentations of "justice." On a much more mundane note, I find it alarming that this story has no significant way to identify the author or source/s of the article.

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Middle East

Iran suspends Controversial punishment for Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani put on hold amid "review" following international outcry. The case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has sparked an international outcry

Iran has suspended the punishment of death by stoning for a woman convicted of adultery, the country's foreign ministry said.

A spokesman for the ministry said on Wednesday that government officials will review the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who was convicted of adultery in 2006.

"The verdict regarding the extramarital affairs has stopped and it's being reviewed," Ramin Mehmanparast told Iran's state-run English-language channel, Press TV.

Ashtiani was convicted in 2006 of having an "illicit relationship" with two men after the murder of her husband the previous year. She had also been sentenced to death following a separate conviction for playing a role in her husband's 2005 murder.

The foreign ministry said on Wednesday that her sentencing for "complicity in murder" is still in process.

"Defending a person on trial for murder should not be turned into a human rights matter," Mehmanparast said.

But Ashtiani's lawyer, Houtan Javid Kian, said she was never formally put on trial on the charge of being an accomplice to murder and was not allowed to mount a defence.

International outcry

The case of Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two, has provoked international outrage and has further strained relations between Iran and the West.

The international crossfire over Iran's stoning sentence intensified on Tuesday, after Jose Manuel Barroso, the European commission president, said he was "appalled" by the news of the sentence.

"Barbaric beyond words," he said during his first state of the union address in Strasbourg, France.

Amnesty International also called on Iran to abolish what it called a "horrific practice, designed to increase the suffering" of those condemned.

Stoning is the penalty for crimes such as adultery under Iranian law.

But Amnesty said a disproportionate number of those sentenced to death by stoning were women because they were not treated equally before the law and were particularly vulnerable to unfair trials.
Iranian authorities routinely defend their legal codes and human rights standards as fully developed and in keeping with the country's traditions and values. They have widely ignored Western denunciations over the crackdowns.

Ashtiani's lawyer said he regards the next critical period coming next week. The moratorium on death sentences during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan will end, and he said he worries that an execution could be then carried out "any moment".


Source: Agencies

http://english.aljazeera.net/

This is where cultural relativism and I break company. Public stoning anywhere, by anyone is ugly and cruel and barbaric. Let alone the sexism involved here.

This woman will be burried to her head in a public execution area and people will throw stones at her head until she is dead. Also, her first language is Turkish (a minority in Iran) and she was questioned in Arabic. She did not understand what she was admitting to- stoning of women for adultry requires admission of at least 4 witnesses (of which all 4 must be men).

Even in countries that continue using the death penalty (like the US, one of very few worldwide), history demonstrates the development of more humane (if you buy this) of carrying it out.

FerGoddessSakes, California has stopped executions by lethal injection due to questioning inhumane aspects!

Stoning was widely imposed in the years after the 1979 Islamic revolution, and even though Iran's judiciary still regularly hands down such sentences, they are often converted to other punishments.

The last known stoning was carried out in 2007, although the government rarely confirms that such punishments have been meted out.

Under Islamic rulings, a man is usually buried up to his waist, while a woman is buried up to her chest with her hands also buried. Those carrying out the verdict then throw stones until the condemned dies.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=129162333