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Barbarians at the Gate: Sid Harth

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Aug 5, 2010, 12:27:16 PM8/5/10

Barbarians at the Gate: Sid Harth
http://navanavonmilita.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/barbarians-at-the-gate-sid-harth/

Barbarians at the gate: Sid Harth

Attorney in stoning case seeks asylum as client awaits court decision
By the CNN Wire Staff
August 5, 2010 — Updated 1359 GMT (2159 HKT)

Sakineh Mohammedie Ashtiani faces death by stoning for allegedly
commiting adultery.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Prominent human rights lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei is being held in
Turkey
He is seeking asylum, while his wife has been detained in an Iranian
jail
Mostafaei helped bring attention to the case of the Iranian woman
condemned to die by stoning

RELATED TOPICS

Iran

Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani

(CNN) — A prominent human rights lawyer is sitting in a detention cell
in Turkey as an Iranian court prepares to render a final decision —
possibly Thursday — in the case of his client, Sakineh Mohammedie
Ashtiani, who was sentenced to death by stoning after being convicted
of adultery.

But Mohammad Mostafaei, who helped launch a worldwide campaign to
clear Ashtiani, has much more on his mind. More than 1,000 miles away,
his wife is in a cell too — in Iran’s notorious Evin prison.

“You know, I do not know what the future holds at the moment. Either
the government of Turkey is going to report me back to Iran, or
hopefully I can gain asylum in a third country,” Mostafaei said in a
CNN interview. “I am not sure what will happen to me.”

However, a Turkish foreign ministry official told CNN Thursday that
Mostafaei will not be extradited to Iran.

“As you know, he applied for asylum and within a day or two he will go
to a country of his choice probably in Europe,” the official said.
“Norway is among the options. His extradition [to Iran] is out of the
question.”

Mostafaei went into hiding July 24 after a lengthy interrogation at
Evin prison. The same day, rallies were being held worldwide to draw
attention to Ashtiani’s case.

His wife and brother-in-law were reportedly arrested that night at his
office in Tehran as they tried to gather his belongings.

Iranian authorities told Mostafaei that his family would be detained
until he turned himself in.

“I made a decision, after I saw that they were still going to arrest
me and mistreat me, that I must leave Iran,” he said. “It was a very
hard decision.”

Iranian authorities have since released Mostafaei’s brother-in-law,
but human rights groups said they are holding his wife as collateral
until he returns.

“Once the authorities in Iran realize I have done nothing wrong or
illegal, they will have no choice but to free my wife,” he said. “She
has also done nothing wrong. I am hoping for that outcome.”

Mostafaei was being held Thursday at a detention center in Istanbul,
Turkey, where he requested asylum, said Metin Corabatir, a
representative in Turkey for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
He allegedly entered the country with improper documentation, the
agency said.

It’s a charge Mostafaei denies. He says his passport was his own and
is valid. Mostafaei also said he has a Norwegian travel visa that he
received from the embassy in Tehran some time ago.

Turkey does not require visas for citizens from neighboring Iran to
enter the country. As a result, it is the first place hundreds of
Iranians fled to after the Iranian government cracked down on
opposition activists and critics over the past year.

Human rights groups are urging officials to grant Mostafaei’s asylum
request because they say he could be in grave danger if he is forced
to return to Iran.

There is no word yet on whether any nation is willing to accept him.

Mostafaei said he met with officials from the Norwegian embassy on
Tuesday. “They had me fill out political asylum forms so they could
arrange for me to go to Norway,” he said.

An official in the Norwegian embassy said Norway would not comment on
a special asylum case.

“The sooner I can leave this country (Turkey) the sooner I think my
wife will be freed,” Mostafaei said. “The government of Turkey must
act fast and help me with my case. The arrangements need to be made so
I can leave Turkey and go to another country.”

In a now widely-circulated open letter reportedly penned by Mostafaei
and posted on the Internet, the lawyer accused Iranian authorities of
holding his wife “hostage.” He also explained why he made the painful
choice to leave his wife behind.

“Despite the arrest of the person I love most in my life, I decided
not to ever set foot in a judicial office where the interrogators do
not abide by any basic laws,” he wrote.

“Hostage taking is never legal,” Mostafaei said. “I decided not to
appear unless the interrogator’s office tries hard enough to come and
arrest me in my silo that I have built for myself.”

Mostafaei was asked by CNN in early July if he was worried about his
safety after bringing so much attention to Ashtiani, who was convicted
of adultery in 2006 and condemned to die by the brutal method of
stoning.

Mostafaei told CNN that he knew the risks — he had been detained
briefly after Iran’s post-election turmoil in June 2009 — but that
would not stop him fighting for human rights. But it was that very
fight that forced him to flee the country he calls home.

As part of that open letter, Mostafaei cried out to the Iranian
government — and to God — for the strange twist in his fate.

“For the past few years all my thoughts have been towards saving
people who did not deserve to die,” he wrote. “I was so occupied with
saving these people that I hardly got to see my dear wife and
daughter. … And for someone who has always worked towards justice and
the interests of the Islamic Republic, is this the way I am paid back
for my God-loving and human-loving actions?”

“I leave you and your interrogator at the mercy of God, the creator,”
he continued. “I hope that you won’t let my child cry for her mother,
not eating food and wanting her mother back. She needs to hug her
mother. If through this separation from her mother she gets hurt, it’s
a sin that you have committed.”

The Iranian government has not commented on the detention of
Mostafaei’s wife.

Meanwhile, Ashtiani’s son and daughter visited her in prison Thursday,
said Mina Ahadi, spokeswoman for the International Committee Against
Stoning, who keeps in touch with Ashtiani’s family. Ahadi said Iranian
officials have told Ashtiani’s son that he would receive news Thursday
about his mother’s fate.

Human rights activists are urging the international community not to
forget Ashtiani, who may soon die — or the man who tried to set her
free.

<a href="http://freesakineh.org/Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, Iranian
Mother, could be put to death at any moment

August 5: Sakineh’s lawyer arrested; fate of Sakineh to be handed down
next week – hanging likely; President Lula’s offer of amnesty flatly
refused by Iranian leadership.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43 year old mother of two, was convicted
in May 2006 of having an “illicit relationship” with two men and
received 99 lashes as her sentence. Despite already having been
punished, she has now been further convicted of “adultery” and she and
sentenced to death by stoning.

She is currently being held on death row in Tabriz Prison, north-west
Iran, and faces imminent execution. Around July 7th , 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.

On 10 July, the head of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights said that
her case would be reviewed, although he affirmed that Iranian law
permits execution by stoning.

On 14 July Sajjad Qaderzadeh, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s son, was
summoned to Tabriz’s Central Prison, and is believed to have been
questioned by Ministry of Intelligence officials who possibly
threatened him not to give further interviews about his mother’s case.

It is clear Sakineh remains in grave risk…

PLEASE sign this petition which calls on the Iranian authorities to
clarify her current legal status, demands that the authorities enact
legislation that bans stoning as a legal punishment, and eliminates
other forms of the death penalty for “adultery” such as fogging or
imprisonment.

The Power of Voices

From 1982 to 1984, I was a teenage political prisoner in Evin Prison
in Tehran. I was tortured and raped and watched my friends suffer and
many of them die. So many innocent young lives devastated or lost. But
the world went on, as if nothing had happened. We felt abandoned and
forgotten in Evin.

On Thursday morning, March 25, 2010, a beautiful sunny day, I stood in
Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland and looked on a narrow road
sandwiched between two rows of redbrick, two-storey buildings. Unlike
the flimsy wooden barracks I had seen in other camps, these were well
built and looked quite sturdy. Many tour buses were parked in the
parking lot, and there were tourists from all ages and nationalities
everywhere. I was on a trip organized by the Friends of Simon
Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies. Birds sang in the pale sun,
and the clear voice of our young tour guide, Anna, who was
knowledgeable and professional, streamed through my headset — but I
wasn’t listening. The bricks of Auschwitz were almost identical in
colour to those of Evin. I reached out and touched them, and tears
blinded me. We had just seen piles of thousands of the shoes of the
victims of Auschwitz, and I remembered that in Evin, guards had taken
away my white and red Puma running shoes and had given me rubber
slippers instead. Where were my shoes and the ones of my prison
friends? Had they been destroyed? We entered a barrack, and I looked
into a bright, average-sized room with a wooden table in the middle
and a few chairs around it. Anna explained that this room was used for
arbitrary trials, and most of the prisoners tried here were sentenced
to death and executed in the courtyard behind the building. In Evin
prison, the Sharia judge who had condemned me to death had probably
sat in a similar room and drank tea as he passed on verdicts. My
survival was a miracle, but not everyone was as lucky as I was.

Iran’s political prisons, including Evin, are still quite operational.
People are tortured and executed in Iran on a daily basis. When
atrocities happen, those who remain silent and don’t speak or act
against evil become its accomplices. We cannot afford to wait for
governments to bring about real change. I believe in the power of the
individual. Each one of us can make the world a better place, even if
only one small step at a time. We can create a ripple effect that will
expand and eventually turn into a tsunami.

Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani has been condemned to death in Iran. There
are many others who are languishing like her in their grave-like
cells, maybe facing painful deaths. They are not alone or forgotten.
Even if we don’t know all their names, we are with them. I do not
believe in violence, but I do believe in the power of voices coming
together as one. Let’s get our voices heard.

Marina Nemat is the author of “Prisoner of Tehran.” Her second memoir,
“After Tehran,” will be released this September.Plea to the world by
Sakineh’s Children

Do not allow our nightmare become a reality, Protest against our
mother’s stoning! Today we stretch out our hands to the people of the
whole world. It is now five years that we have lived in fear and in
horror, deprived of motherly love. Is the world so cruel that it can
watch this catastrophe and do nothing about it?

We are Sakine Mohammadi e Ashtiani’s children, Fasride and Sajjad
Mohamamadi e Ashtiani. Since our childhood we have been acquainted
with the pain of knowing that our mother is imprisoned and awaiting a
catastrophe. To tell the truth, the term “stoning” is so horrific that
we try never to use it. We instead say our mother is in danger, she
might be killed, and she deserves everyone’s help.

Today, when nearly all options have reached dead-ends, and our
mother’s lawyer says that she is in a dangerous situation, we resort
to you. We resort to the people of the world, no matter who you are
and where in the world you live. We resort to you, people of Iran, all
of you who have experienced the pain and anguish of the horror of
losing a loved one.

Please help our mother return home!

We especially stretch our hand out to the Iranians living abroad. Help
to prevent this nightmare from becoming reality. Save our mother. We
are unable to explain the anguish of every moment, every second of our
lives. Words are unable to articulate our fear…

Help to save our mother. Write to and ask officials to free her. Tell
them that she doesn’t have a civil complainant and has not done any
wrong. Our mother should not be killed. Is there any one hearing this
and rushing to our assistance?

Faride and Sajjad Mohammadi e Ashtiani

We the undersigned are aware of the unjust treatment of Sakineh
Ashtiani. WE CALL FOR SAKINEH ASHTIANI’S IMMEDIATE RELEASE.

We call for the elimination of stoning as a practice in Iran, a
practice which violates any and all definitions of human rights.

We call for the elimination of other forms of the death penalty or
flogging or imprisonment for those convicted of “adultery”.

We also call on the authorities to ensure that Sajjad Qaderzadeh will
not be harassed in connection with expressions of concern he has made
regarding the life of his mother, Sakineh Ashtiani.

In as much as Iran is a signatory to the International Declaration of
Human Rights and related Conventions, we call upon Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei and the leaders of Iran to take responsibility for their
commitments and intervene to free this woman who is being unjustly
punished, as well as other women currently condemned to die by stoning
for adultery.

No matter what the differences are in religious or political beliefs,
Iran must participate, along with all other nations, in creating a
world where basic human rights and fundamental humanity prevail.

Stoning is barbaric…. And it must be stopped.

President Fernando Henrique Cardoso Mahnaz Afkham iShohreh Aghdash loo
Ingrid Bethancourt Michael Bloomberg Richard Branson Sandra Broudy
Chico Buarque Jane Buffet Jimmy Buffet Saeed Kamali Dehghan Ariela
Cotler Louise Dennys Michael Douglas Claire L’Heureux Dube Shirin
Ebadi Caroline Fourest Diane von Furstenberg Peter Gabriel Philip
Gourevitch Laureen Harper Arianna Huffington Hugh Jackman Heidi
KohlKiel Kohl Marie-Josée Kravis Hanif Kureishi Annie Lennox Bernard-
Henri Lévy John Mackinson Irshad Manji Lale Mansur Kati Marton Mary
MatalinIan McEwan Deepa Mehta Azar Nafisi Marina Nemat Betsy Giffen
Nowrasteh Cyrus Nowrasteh Jane Olson Yoko Ono Gwyneth Paltrow Kathleen
Reade rHeather Reisman David Remnick Salman Rushdie Sheryl Sandberg
Luiz Schwarcz Gerry Schwartz Sting Trudie Styler Caetano Veloso
Fiammetta Venner Lister J. Watson Gorkem Yeltan Catherine Zeta Jones
Alan Barbosa Buchard Gerlinde Gerberleko
Laura Foster Cléa Nunes Alxandre Alves Kevon Julien Val Alderson
Hibari Sebin Sampaio Irma Murguiamaura brassil Erica Cristina do
Nascimento Uyen Nguyen KAZUO SAKAKURA Suza Hamarashpaulo
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Anna Wojtasiak Allison Darroch Raquel Puti de Souza Kathy Ammeter
Kristin Perry Thássya Macedo Janet Racz Stephanie Adams jennifer rödl
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Cristiano Merotti de Moraes Fabiana Wilsonleonardo padron correa David
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Béatrice Schnarwyler Katharina Nix Chen Jia Shan Jade Harrison Crystal
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郭瞳 Marisa M. Artagoitia Christopher Hooper RINALDO G. CUSTODIO
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Alicia Silvester Carole Quinney Marina Brezhneva Matthew AyreLaura
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Raven Amosesraesra demirci Kathy BeadlePress Release 33: Tabriz
prosecution demands Ms Ashtiani’s execution – Tehran High Court
considers

Press Release No33, August 4, 2010
Tabriz prosecution demands Ms Ashtiani’s execution – Tehran High Court
considers

At today’s hearing regarding Ms Ashtiani’s case at Tehran’s High Court
the chief of the 9th division, Davoudi, rejected a reopening of the
trial and is instead considering Tabriz prosecutor Hossain Nobacht’s
demand to execute Ms Ashtiani. Her case has now been transferred to
the deputy prosecutor-general Saeed Mortazavi.

The High Court will confirm whether the execution of Ms Ashtiani can
go ahead next week.

Sakine Ashtiani’s children and relatives are very concerned about this
development. Hossain Nobacht had been speaking publicly about
demanding Ms Ashtiani’s execution and waiting for confirmation from
the Head of the Judiciary as long as ten days ago.

Mina Ahadi from ICAS says: ‘The Islamic regime has sent a political
message.
Despite the many protests and international concern for Ms Ashtiani
the Islamic regime continues their terror against people and
especially women in Iran. Putting Ms Ashtiani’s future in the hands of
Saeed Mortazavi is a very bad sign. They are preparing Ms Ashtiani’s
execution. This is a very clear sign that ‘justice’ in Iran has
nothing to do with being just but everything to do with being a
political tool of oppression and self-preservation of the Islamic
regime.’

A confirmation of the execution order for Ms Ashtiani can mean that
she might be executed very soon. ICAS calls on all human rights
organisations, governments and individuals worldwide to continue
putting pressure on the Islamic regime of Iran until Ms Ashtiani is
freed.

International Committee against Stoning
International Committee against Execution

4 August 2010

1. Contact:

Mina Ahadi
International Committee against Execution(ICAE)
International Committee against Stoning(ICAS)
Email: mina...@aol.com
Tel: 0049 (0) 1775692413

2. A note about Saeed Mortazavi, deputy prosecutor-general of Iran. He
has been accused of the torture and death in custody of Iranian-
Canadian photographer Zahra Kazemi by the Canadian government. In a
report in Iran in 2010 he was named as the man responsible for abuse
of dozens and death of three political prisoners at Kahrizak detention
centre in 2009. He has been called “torturer of Tehran” by some
observers.

Le procureur de Tabriz demande l’exécution de Sakineh

Comité International contre la Lapidation, 4 août 2010 :

Lors de l’audience d’aujourd’hui concernant le dossier de Madame
Ashitiani à la Cours Suprême de Téhéran, Davoudi, chef de la 9ème
division, a rejeté la réouverture du procès et a au contraire étudié
la demande du procureur Hossain Nobach d’exécuter Madame Ashtiani. Son
dossier a depuis été transféré au secrétaire du procureur général
Saeed Mortazavi.

La Cour Suprême peut soit confirmer l’exécution de Madame Ashtiani
soit revoir le dossier la semaine prochaine.

Les enfants et les proches de Sakineh Ashtiani sont très inquiets de
ces dernières nouvelles. Hossain Nobacht a parlé publiquement de la
demande d’exécution de Madame Ashtiani et attend la confirmation du
chef de l’institution judiciaire depuis dix jours.

Mina Ahadi, de la Campagne Internationale Contre la Lapidation, a
déclaré : « Le régime islamique a envoyé un message politique. Malgré
les nombreuses protestations et l’inquiétude internationale pour
Madame Ashtiani, le régime islamique continue sa terreur contre le
peuple et en particulier contre les femmes en Iran. Mettre l’avenir de
Madame Ashtiani entre les mains de Saeed Mortazavi est un très mauvais
signe. Ils préparent l’exécution de Madame Ashtiani. Voilà un signe
très clair sur ce qu’est la « justice » en Iran, qui n’a rien à voir
avec la justice mais est un outil politique d’oppression et d’auto-
protection du régime islamique. »

Une confirmation de l’ordre d’exécution de Madame Ashtiani peut
signifier qu’elle peut être très vite exécutée. La Campagne
Internationale Contre la Lapidation appelle toutes les organisations
des droits humains, les gouvernements et les individus du monde entier
a continuer à faire pression sur le régime islamique jusqu’à ce que
Madame Ashtiani soit libre.

Comité International Contre la Lapidation, Comité International contre
les Exécutions, 4 août 2010

2. Une note à propos de Saeed Mortazavi, secrétaire du procureur
général d’Iran. Il a été accusé de la torture et du meurtre en
détention de la photographe irano-canadienne Zahra Kazemi par le
gouvernement canadien. dans un rapport en Iran de 2010, il a été nommé
comme l’homme responsable des exactions sur des dizaines de
prisonniers et la mort de trois prisonniers politiques au centre de
détention de Kahrizak en 2009. Il est appelé « le tortionnaire d’Iran
» par plusieurs observateurs.
_____________________________________
Translation: Pascal Yasmina

Press Release 32: Sakine Ashtiani’s lawyer Mr Mostafaei arrested in
Turkey

Press Release 32, 4 August 2010

Sakine Ashtiani’s lawyer Mr Mostafaei arrested in Turkey

According to the Turkish newspaper ‘Radikal’ Mr Mostafaei was arrested
in Turkey yesterday, Tuesday 3 August, and is currently in detention.
Mr Mostafaei was at Istanbul airport when he was arrested as there
were allegedly issues with his passport. Several European countries
have already spoken to the Turkish authorities and expressed their
concern for Mr Mostafaei’s safety.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has confirmed that Mr Mostafaei
is in detention in Turkey and is in contact with him. The UNHCR also
stated that Mr Mostafaei has applied for asylum in Turkey.

Mr Mostafaei has received numerous death threats and ICAS is very
concerned for his safety and holds the Turkish authorities responsible
for his safety and wellbeing.

ICAS has received information from Iran that the Islamic regime is
trying to bring Mr Mostafaei into disrepute. The Islamic authorities
claim to have found forged documents and banned substances in Mr
Mostafaei’s office. The Iranian authorities are known to use this
method in order to be able to increase the charges against someone.

ICAS has also received the news from Iran that Mr Mostafaei’s father-
in-law and brother-in-law were released last night.

ICAS calls on all European governments to put pressure on the Turkish
government to release Mr Mostafaei and to allow him to transfer to a
safe country.

4 August 2010

L’avocat de Sakineh arrêté en Turquie

Communiqué de presse 32de la Campagne Internationale Contre la
Lapidation, 4 août 2010 :

Selon le journal turc « Radikal« , Monsieur Mostafaei a été arrêté en
Turquie hier, mardi 3 août, et actuellement en détention. Monsieur
Mostafaei était à l’aéroport d’Istanbul lorsqu’il a été arrêté pour de
supposés problèmes avec son passeport. Plusieurs pays européens ont
d’ores et déjà parlé avec les autorités turques et exprimé leurs
inquiétudes pour la sécurité de monsieur Mostafaei.

Le Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies a confirmé que Monsieur
Mostafaei est détenu en Turquie et qu’il est en contact avec lui.
L’UNHCR a aussi déclaré que Monsieur Mostafaei avait fait une demande
d’asile en Turquie.

Monsieur Mostafaei avait reçu de nombreuses menaces de mort et la
Campagne Internationale Contre la Lapidation est très inquiète et
tient les autorités turques responsables de sa sécurité et de son bien-
être.

La Campagne Internationale Contre la Lapidation a reçu des
informations d’Iran selon lesquelles le régime cherche à porter le
discrédit sur Monsieur Mostafaei. Les autorités islamiques prétendent
avoir trouver de faux documents et des substances illicites dans le
bureau de Monsieur Mostafaei. Les autorités iraniennes sont connues
pour utiliser cette méthode afin de pouvoir augmenter les accusations
contre quelqu’un.

La Campagne Internationale Contre la Lapidation a aussi reçu des
nouvelles d’Iran selon lesquelles le beau-père et le beau-frère de
Monsieur Mostafaei ont été libérés la nuit dernière.

La Campagne Internationale Contre la Lapidation appelle tous les
gouvernements européens à faire pression sur le gouvernement turc pour
qu’il soit libéré et autorisé à être transféré dans un pays sûr.
_____________________________________
Translation: Pascal Yasmina

Press Release 31 – Brazilian offer rejected by Islamic regime

Press Release 31, 3 August 2010

Brazilian offer rejected by Islamic regime
Mehman Parast, spokesperson of the foreign ministry in Tehran, today
rejected the offer made by the Brazilian president Lula da Silva to
give asylum to Sakine Ashtiani and her children.

Ms Ashtiani had been given the news of the offer by her son Sajad
yesterday and was very happy about it.

ICAS hope that Lula da Silva and other governments will continue their
efforts to free Sakine Ashtiani.

The campaign to save Sakine continues and we will put pressure on the
Islamic regime until she is freed.

Communiqué de presse n° 31
3 Août 2010
L’offre du Brésil rejetée par le régime islamique

Mehman Parast, le porte-parole du ministère des Affaires Etrangères à
Téhéran, a rejeté aujourd’hui l’offre faite par le président brésilien
Lula da Silva d’offrir l’asile à Sakine Ashtiani et à ses enfants.

Madame Ashtiani avait reçu la nouvelle de cette offre hier par
l’intermédiaire de son fils Sajad et en était très heureuse.

L’ICAS espère que le président Lula da Silva tout comme d’autres
gouvernements continueront leurs effort pour libérer Sakine Ashtiani.

La campagne pour sauver la vie de Sakine continue et nous ferons
pression sur le régime islamique jusqu’à ce qu’elle soit libérée.

[Georgian] :: [French] :: [English]

პრეს რელიზი # 31. 3 აგვისტო, 2010
ისლამურმა რეჟიმმა უარი თქვა ბრაზილიის შეთავაზებაზე

დღეს, თეირანში, ირანის საგარეო საქმეთა სამინისტროს სპიკერმა, მეჰმან
ფარასთმა უარი განაცხადა ბრაზილიის პრეზიდენტის – ლულა და სილვას
შეთავაზებაზე, თავშესაფარი მიეცა საქინე მოჰამადი აშთიანის და მისი
შვილებისთვის.

გუშინ, ქალბატონ აშთიანის მისმა შვილმა, საჯადმა აცნობა ბრაზილიის
პრეზიდენტის შეთავაზების შესახებ, რის გამოც, ის ძალიან ბედნიერი იყო.

საერთაშორისო კომიტეტი ჩაქოლვის წინააღმდეგ (ICAS) იმედოვნებს, რომ ლულა
და სილვა და სხვა სახელმწიფოები განაგრძობენ თავიანთ ძალიასხმევას საქინე
აშთიანის გასათავისუფლებლად.

კამპანია – „გადაარჩინე საქინე“ გრძელდება და და განაგრძობს ზეწოლას
ისლამურ რეჟიმზე, სანამ მას არ გაათავისუფლებენ.

მინა აჰადი
ელ-ფოსტა: mina...@aol.com
ტელ: 0049 (0) 1775692413

საერთაშორისო კომიტეტი ჩაქოლვის წინააღმდეგ (ICAS)
საერთაშორისო კომიტეტი სიკვდილით დასჯის წინააღმდეგ (ICAE)

___________________________________
Translation: Tiko Japaridze

Comments (3)

Negin Tehrani

August 3rd, 2010 at 3:00 pm

My death means living when it is for your dignity when it occurs in
your embrace

Tweets that mention International Committee Against Stoning » Press
Release 31 – Brazilian offer rejected by Islamic regime — Topsy.com

August 3rd, 2010 at 4:23 pm

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Carolyn S Knight, Ayla
Gol. Ayla Gol said: Stop crime against Muslim woman – fair sentencing
in Iran must be done! http://stopstonningnow.com/wpress/?p=1518 [...]

sarit jacobsohn

August 3rd, 2010 at 4:43 pm

I am shocked and disgusted by the double standard towards females.
There is no God in violence.
Iran must be run by some sick sick minds to treat any human this
way….Don’t they have no shame?killing in God’s name?

…and I am Sid Harth

Stoning

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For method of metalworking using sharpening stones, see stoning
(metalworking).
This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion,
tone or spelling. You can assist by editing it. (February 2010)

Part of a series on
Capital punishment

Issues
Debate · Religion and capital punishment · Wrongful execution

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Decapitation · Disembowelment · Dismemberment · Electrocution · Firing
squad · Flaying · Gas chamber · Hanging · Impaling · Lethal injection
· Necklacing · Sawing · Shooting · Slow slicing · Stoning · Torture ·
Nitrogen asphyxiation (proposed)

Other related topics
Crime · Death row · Last meal · Penology

v • d • e

Stoning, or lapidation, refers to a form of capital punishment, as
opposed to private retribution or vengeance, whereby a group of
persons throws stones at an individual until the person dies. In
performing this type of death sentence no particular person, out of
the stone throwing group, could be held responsible or identified as
the one who actually killed the subject. This is in contrast to the
case of a judicial executioner.

Stoning in Judaism

Main article: Religion and capital punishment#Judaism

While allowing for the death penalty in some hypothetical
circumstances, scholars of Judaism are broadly opposed to the death
penalty as practiced in the modern world. The Jewish understanding of
Biblical law is not based on a literal reading of the jewish Bible,
but rather through the lens of Judaism’s Oral Law. Since ~2000 years
until now, stoning has been overcome in Judaism. The normative
teachings of Judaism approve the death penalty in principle. While the
standard of proof required for application of death penalty is
extremely stringent, and in practice, it has been abolished by various
Talmudic decisions, the situations in which a death sentence could be
passed effectively are impossible and hypothetical. “Forty years
before the destruction” of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, i.e. in
30 CE, the Sanhedrin effectively abolished capital punishment. As God
alone was deemed to be the only arbiter in the use of capital
punishment, not fallible people, the Sanhedrin made it a hypothetical
upper limit on the severity of punishment[1]

In Jewish sources

Main article: Corporal punishment (Judaism)

Prior to early Christianity, particularly in the Mishnah, doubts were
growing in Jewish society about the morality of capital punishment in
general and stoning in particular. The laws make it clear that the
death penalty was used only rarely. The Mishnah states:

A Sanhedrin that puts a man to death once in seven years is called
destructive. Rabbi Eliezer ben Azariah says: a Sanhedrin that puts a
man to death even once in seventy years. Rabbi Akiba and Rabbi Tarfon
say: Had we been in the Sanhedrin none would ever have been put to
death. Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel says: they would have multiplied
shedders of blood in Israel.[2]
In the following centuries the leading Jewish sages imposed so many
restrictions on the actual implementation of capital punishment to
prevent execution of the innocent — especially, many difficult-to-
fulfill conditions for a testimony to be admissible (Sanhedrin) – as
to make the imposition of capital punishment de facto illegal.

“It is better and more satisfactory to acquit a thousand guilty
persons than to put a single innocent one to death.”[3] Moses
Maimonides was concerned about the need for the law to guard itself in
public perceptions, to preserve its majesty and retain the people’s
respect. He saw errors of commission as much more threatening the
integrity of law than errors of omission.[4]

Mode of Judgment

Capital punishment in rabbinic law must not be inflicted, except by
the verdict of a regularly constituted court of three-and-twenty
qualified members, and except on the most trustworthy and convincing
testimony of at least two qualified eye-witnesses to the crime who
must also depose that the culprit had been forewarned as to the
criminality and the consequences of his project[5].

The culprit must be a person of legal age and of sound mind, and the
crime must be proved to have been committed of the culprit’s free will
and without the aid of others. On the day that the verdict is
pronounced, the convict is led forth to execution. The torah law
(Leviticus 19,18) prescribes, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy-
self”; and the Rabbis maintain that this love must be extended beyond
the limits of social intercourse in life, and applied even to the
convicted criminal who, “though a sinner, is still thy brother” (Mak.
3,15; Sanh. 44a): “The spirit of love must be manifested by according
him a decent death” (Sanh. 45a, 52a). Torah law provides (Deut.
24,16), “The parents shall not be put to death for the children,
neither shall the children be put to death for the parents; every man
shall be put to death for his own sins,” and rabbinic jurisprudence
follows this principle both to the letter and in spirit. Nor is a
sentence attended by confiscation of the convict’s goods. All his
possessions descend to his legal heirs.

The Talmud limits the use of the death penalty to Jewish criminals
who:

(A) while about to do the crime were warned not to commit the crime
while in the presence of two witnesses (and only individuals who meet
a strict list of standards are considered acceptable witnesses); and
(B) having been warned, committed the crime in front of the same two
witnesses.[6]
In theory, the Talmudic method of how stoning is to be carried out
differs from mob stoning. According to the Jewish Oral Law, after the
Jewish criminal has been determined as guilty before the Great
Sanhedrin, the two valid witnesses and the sentenced criminal go to
the edge of a high place. From there the two witnesses are to push the
criminal off. After the criminal has fallen, the two witnesses are to
drop a large boulder onto the criminal – requiring both of the
witnesses to lift the boulder together. If the criminal did not die
from the fall or from the crushing of the large boulder, then any
people in the surrounding area are to quickly cause him to die by
stoning with whatever rocks they can find.

The 18 crimes related to stoning

Rabbinic law based on the authority of the torah, expressed or
inferred, affixes death by stoning to eighteen crimes[7]:

Bestiality committed by man (Lev. xx. 15; Sanh. vii. 4, 54b; Sifra,
Ḳedoshim, x. 1; Mek., Mishpaṭim, 17).
Bestiality committed by woman (Lev. xx. 16: Sanh. vii. 4, 54b; Sifra,
Ḳedoshim, x. 3; Mek., Mishpaṭim, 17).
Blasphemy (Lev. xxiv. 16; Sanh. vii. 4, 43a; Sifra, Emor, xix.).
Criminal conversation with a betrothed virgin (Deut. xxii. 23, 24;
Sanh. vii. 4, 66b; Sifre, Deut. 242).
Criminal conversation with one’s own daughter-in-law (Lev. xx. 12;
Sanh. vii. 4, 53a; Sifra, Ḳedoshim, ix. 13).
Criminal conversation with one’s own mother (Lev. xviii. 7, xx. 11;
Sanh. vii. 4, 53a; Sifra, Ḳedoshim, ix. 12).
Criminal conversation with one’s own stepmother (Lev. xviii. 8, xx.
11; Sanh. vii. 4, 53a; Sifra, Ḳedoshim, ix. 12).
Cursing a parent (Lev. xx. 9; Sanh. vii. 4, 66a; Mek., Mishpaṭim, 17;
Sifra, Ḳedoshim, ix. 7).
Enticing individuals to idolatry: “Mesit” (Deut. xiii. 7–12 [A. V. 6–
11]; Sanh. vii. 4, 67a; Sifre, Deut. 90).
Idolatry (Deut. xvii. 2–7; Sanh. vii. 4, 60b; Sifre, Deut. 149).
Instigating communities to idolatry: “Maddiaḥ” (Deut. xiii. 2–6 [A. V.
1–5]; Sanh. vii. 4, 67a; Sifre, Deut. 86).
Necromancy (Lev. xx. 27; Sanh. vii. 4, 65a; Sifra, Ḳedoshim, xi.,
end).
Offering one’s own children to Molech (Lev. xx. 2; Sanh. vii. 4, 64a;
Sifra, Ḳedoshim, viii., parashah 10, beginning).
Pederasty (Lev. xx. 13; Sanh. vii. 4, 54a; Sifra, Ḳedoshim, ix. 14).
Rebelling against parents (Deut. xxi. 18–21; Sanh. vii. 4, 68b; Sifre,
Deut. 220).
Shabbath-breaking (Num. xv. 32–36; Sanh. vii. 4; Sifre, Num. 114).
Witchcraft (Ex. xxii. 17 [A. V. 18]; Sanh. vii. 4, 67a; Mek.,
Mishpaṭim, 17).

Usage today

Stoning in Islam

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deletion. ›Controversies related to Islam and Muslims

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Related Topics: Criticism of Islam

v • d • e

Further information: Rajm, Namus, Koran, Hadith, and Sahih Bukhari
In the Koran. While stoning is permitted by Islamic Sharia Law in the
Sunni and Shi’a sects, the Koran does not mention the practice as a
punishment for any crime. According to Islamic scholar Al-Bahuty, a
verse on stoning once existed in the Koran, but it was verbally
abrogated by Mohammed and his first followers. Al-Bahuty claims
however the verse’s ruling is still binding, and cites hadith from
Sahih Bukhari: [8]

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 82: Punishment of Disbelievers at War
with Allah and His Apostle, Number 816: Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas: ‘Umar
said, “I am afraid that after a long time has passed, people may say,
“We do not find the Verses of the Rajam (stoning to death) in the Holy
Book,” and consequently they may go astray by leaving an obligation
that Allah has revealed. Lo! I confirm that the penalty of stoning be
inflicted on him who commits illegal sexual intercourse, if he is
already married and the crime is proved by witnesses or pregnancy or
confession.” Sufyan added, “I have memorized this narration in this
way.” ‘Umar added, “Surely Allah’s Apostle carried out the penalty of
stoning, and so did we after him.” [9]

In Islamic Sharia Law. Islamic Sharia Law is based on the Koran, the
hadith, and the biography of Mohammed.[10] Stoning is well-established
in the Sunni hadith of Sahih Bukhari, where it is recorded that
Mohammed ordered it over 34 times as a punishment. [11] According to
Ibn Qudamah, “Muslim jurists are unanimous on the fact stoning to
death is a specified punishment for married adulterer and adulteress.
The punishment is recorded in number of traditions and the practice of
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stands as an authentic
source supporting it. This is the view held by all Companions,
Successors and other Muslim scholars with the exception of
Kharijites.”[12]

In hadith. Shi’a hadith related to stoning can be found in Kitab al-
Kafi while Sunni hadith related to stoning can be found in the Sahih
Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, the two most respected collections of Sunni
hadith: [13]

Sahih Muslim, Book 17, Chapter 6: Stoning to Death of Jews and Other
Dhimmis In Cases of Adultery, Number 4216: Jabir b.’Abdullah reported
that Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) stoned (to death) a
person from Banu Aslam, and a Jew and his wife.[14]

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 23: Funerals, Number 413: Narrated
‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar: The Jew brought to the Prophet a man and a woman
from amongst them who have committed (adultery) illegal sexual
intercourse. He ordered both of them to be stoned (to death), near the
place of offering the funeral prayers beside the mosque.” [15]

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 50: Conditions, Number 885: Narrated Abu
Huraira and Zaid bin Khalid Al-Juhani: A bedouin came to Allah’s
Apostle and said, “O Allah’s apostle! I ask you by Allah to judge My
case according to Allah’s Laws.” His opponent, who was more learned
than he, said, “Yes, judge between us according to Allah’s Laws, and
allow me to speak.” Allah’s Apostle said, “Speak.” He (i .e. the
bedouin or the other man) said, “My son was working as a laborer for
this (man) and he committed illegal sexual intercourse with his wife.
The people told me that it was obligatory that my son should be stoned
to death, so in lieu of that I ransomed my son by paying one hundred
sheep and a slave girl. Then I asked the religious scholars about it,
and they informed me that my son must be lashed one hundred lashes,
and be exiled for one year, and the wife of this (man) must be stoned
to death.” Allah’s Apostle said, “By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, I
will judge between you according to Allah’s Laws. The slave-girl and
the sheep are to be returned to you, your son is to receive a hundred
lashes and be exiled for one year. You, Unais, go to the wife of this
(man) and if she confesses her guilt, stone her to death.” Unais went
to that woman next morning and she confessed. Allah’s Apostle ordered
that she be stoned to death.[16]

Usage today

Stoning is practiced in Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia,
Sudan, and Nigeria.[citation needed]

Afghanistan

Before the Taliban government, most areas of Afghanistan, aside from
the capital, Kabul, were controlled locally by warlords or tribal
leaders, the Afghan legal system depended highly on an individual
community’s local culture and the political and/or religious ideology
of its leaders. Stoning also occurred in lawless areas, where
vigilantes decide to commit the act for political purposes. Once the
Taliban Government took over, stoning became the official punishment
for many crimes, although once the U.S.-led occupation started,
stoning had ended as an official court ruling, but still occurs
unofficially.[17]

Iran

Further information: Capital punishment in Iran

The Iranian judiciary officially placed a moratorium on stoning in
2002, although the punishment remained on the books, and there were a
few cases of Judges handing down stoning sentences in 2006 and 2007
[18] In 2008, Iran’s judiciary decided to fully scrap the punishment
from the books in a legislation submitted to parliament for approval.
[19] As of June 2009, Iran’s parliament has been reviewing and
revising the Islamic penal code to omit stoning as a form of
punishment.[20]

In Iran, stoning as a punishment did not exist until 1983, when the
contemporary Islamic Penal Code was ratified. Many Muslim jurists in
Iran are of the opinion that while stoning can be considered Islamic,
the criteria under which it can be imposed as a sentence are
stringent: Because of the large burden of proof needed to reach a
guilty sentence of adultery, its penalty is hardly ever applicable.

Furthermore, while legally on the books, because vociferous domestic
and international controversy and outcry over stoning in the early
years of the Islamic republic, the government placed official
moratoriums on the punishment and, as a result, it was rarely
practiced. Nevertheless, much of the public was outraged that such a
backward and tortuous ritual became instituted in the laws of their
country.[21] In 2002, Iran’s judiciary indicated that stoning will no
longer be practiced in Iran.[22] However, following the election of
Ahmadinejad, there were reports of judges handing down stoning
sentences in 2006 and 2007, and 2010. Finally, in 2008, Iran’s
judiciary decided to scrap the punishment of stoning in draft
legislation submitted to parliament for approval.[19]. In July of
2010, the Iranian judiciary spokesman Jamal Karimirad was quoted as
saying “Stoning has been dropped from the penal code for a long time,
and in the Islamic republic, we do not see such punishments being
carried out”, further adding that if stoning sentences were passed by
lower courts, they were over-ruled by higher courts and “no such
verdicts have been carried out.” [23].

Somalia

In October, 2008, a girl, Aisho Ibrahim Dhuhulow was buried up to her
neck at a football stadium, then stoned to death in front of more than
1,000 people. The stoning occurred after she had allegedly pleaded
guilty to adultery in a sharia court in Kismayo, a city controlled by
Islamist insurgents. According to the insurgents she had stated that
she wanted shari`ah law to apply.[24]

However, other sources state that the victim had been crying, that she
begged for mercy and had to be forced into the hole before being
buried up to her neck in the ground.[25] Amnesty International later
learned that the girl was in fact 13 years old and had been arrested
by al-Shabab militia after she had reported being gang-raped by three
men.[26]

In December 2009, another instance of stoning was publicized. Mohamed
Abukar Ibrahim was accused of adultery by the Hizbul Islam militant
group.[27]

Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates

Stonings, with and without legal proceedings have been reported in
Sudan, Saudi Arabia [28]

Nigeria

More than a dozen Nigerian Muslims have been sentenced to death by
stoning for sexual offences ranging from adultery to homosexuality
since the Sharia legal system was introduced in 2000. But none of
these death sentences has actually been carried out. They have either
been thrown out on appeal or commuted to prison terms as a result of
pressure from human rights groups. Many others have been sentenced to
flogging for drinking alcohol. Although there have been two
amputations in north-western Zamfara State which pioneered the
introduction of the Islamic legal system in the country.

Support for the practice of stoning

In a survey carried out in Indonesia it found that “almost half the
respondents back stoning as a punishment for adulterers.”[29] However,
some scholars disagree with this report, stating that the Indonesian
government conducting a survey about stoning is irrelevant because
capital punishment does not exist in Indonesian law and is unlikely to
be implemented because it contradicts the constitution of Indonesia.
[30] Therefore, this report is not official and its validity can not
be verified. Indonesian law is based on civil law system. Stoning
currently is against the law in Indonesia, defined as a “Crime Against
Life and Torture.”[31]

Groups against the practice of stoning

Stoning has been condemned by several human rights organizations. Some
groups, such as Amnesty International[32] and Human Rights Watch,
oppose all capital punishment, including stoning. Other groups, such
as and RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan),
oppose stoning per se as an especially “cruel” practice.

Specific sentences of stoning, such as the Amina Lawal case, have
often generated international protest. Groups like Human Rights Watch,
[33] while in sympathy with these protests, have raised a concern that
the Western focus on stoning as an especially “exotic” or “barbaric”
act distracts from what they view as the larger problems of capital
punishment. They argue that the “more fundamental human rights issue
in Nigeria is the dysfunctional justice system.”

In Iran, the Stop Stoning Forever Campaign was formed by various
women’s rights activists after a man and a woman were stoned to death
in Mashhad Iran in May 2006. Their main goal is to legally abolish
stoning as a form of punishment for adultery in Iran.[22]

People who were stoned to death

James the Just, in AD 62, after being condemned by the Sanhedrin
Saint Timothy, after AD 67
Pancras of Taormina
Constantine-Silvanus, founder of the Paulicians, stoned in 684 at
Armenia
Saint Eskil, Anglo-Saxon monk stoned to death by Swedish Vikings
Moctezuma II, last Aztec Emperor (although the Aztecs claim he was
executed by the Spanish)
Du’a Khalil Aswad, stoned to death in Iraqi Yazidi Kurdistan (2007)
Soraya Manutchehri, stoned to death in Iran after being falsely
accused of adultery
Lucius Appuleius Saturninus, d. 100 BC, grandfather of later triumvir
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus

People who were almost stoned

Amina Lawal, sentenced to death by stoning in Nigeria, but freed on
appeal
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani sentenced to death by stoning in Iran, but
sentence is under review.

People stoned (in religious texts)

In the Tanakh and Old Testament:

The son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian man, for cursing God
(Leviticus 24:10–23)
A man who gathered wood on Shabbat (Numbers 15:32–36)
Yeshu, a person mentioned in the Talmud as a sorcerer and an inciter
to idolatry
Achan (Joshua 7)
Adoniram, King Rehoboam‘s tax man (I Kings 12:18)
Naboth, (I Kings 21)
Zechariah ben Jehoiada, who denounced the people’s disobedience to the
commandments (II Chronicles 24:20–21, perhaps also Matt. 23:35)
In the New Testament:

Saint Stephen, sentenced for blasphemy c. AD 31(Acts 6:8–14Acts 7:58–
60).
Others:

Palamedes (mythology), stoned to death as a traitor.

People who were almost stoned (in religious texts)

In the Tanakh and Old Testament:

Moses (Exodus 17:4)
Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 14:6–10)
David (I Samuel 30:6)
In the New Testament:

The Gospel of John chapter 8 gives the story of Jesus and the woman
taken in adultery, in which people wanted to stone the woman.
Jesus (John 10:31)
The captain of the Temple and his officers (Acts 5:26)
Paul of Tarsus, mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles chapter 14:19,
as being stoned at Lystra at the instigation of Jews. He was left for
dead, but then revived.
[edit] Stoning in literature
Shirley Jackson‘s “The Lottery” depicts a lottery in which one member
of a small, isolated American community is stoned to death ritually
each year as a sacrifice. It explores themes of scapegoating, man’s
inherent evil and the destructive nature of observing ancient,
outdated rituals. The music video for Man That You Fear by Marilyn
Manson is based on these events.
Robert A. Heinlein‘s Stranger in a Strange Land reaches its climax
with a stoning execution.
Friedoune Sahebjam‘s The Stoning of Soraya M. is a true story of a
woman who was stoned to death in Iran in 1986.

Stoning in film and television

Seven Sleepers (English translation), 2005 – A series running on
Iranian TV, in which medieval (300–400 AD) Jews stone Christians.[34]
A Stoning in Fulham County, 1988 – A made-for-TV movie surrounding the
vigilante stoning in an American Amish community.[35]
Monty Python’s Life of Brian presents a Jesus of Nazareth-era stoning
in a humorous context, ending with a massive boulder being dropped on
the Jewish official (John Cleese), not the victim. The film mentions
that women are not allowed at stonings, yet almost all of the stone-
throwers turn out to be women disguised as men.
Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” made into a short (20 minute) film by
Larry Yust [4] in 1969 as part of an educational release for
Encyclopædia Britannica’s “Short Story Showcase”.
The film The Kite Runner depicts the stoning of an adulteress in a
public stadium during a football match, by the Taliban.
The film Mission Istanbul depicts the stoning of an adulteress in
Kabul, by the fictional terrorist group Abu Nazir until it is
interrupted by the protagonist Vikas Sagar. After Vikas leaves, the
adulteress is shot dead.
The Stoning of Soraya M. 2009
Year One