For Now, Iranian Stoning on Hold

For four long years Ms. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has been awaiting her fate, at the mercy of the Iranian Islamic Republic. Sentenced to death by stoning in 2006 to the questionable charges of adultery and being an accomplice in the murder of her husband, she has been held in prison, knowing very little about what her immediate future holds. She has already received her punishment for maintaining “an illicit relationship” with two men, in which she was given 99 lashes in front of her son.

In the middle of all the controversy, the lawyer that originally defended her has been forced into exile, first to Turkey, then to Norway.

Meanwhile, the international community, outraged at what they call an unjust and inhumane judiciary, has vouched for her release, to no avail. Many question whether she is actually guilty, especially with her lawyer stating that Ashtiani was tortured for two days before giving what he calls a coerced confession on state TV in which she admits to the charges of adultery and describes her involvement in the murder.

Several Iranian officials over the last several years have suggested that she may actually be executed by a different method, although the authenticity of these mixed and somewhat ambiguous reports have not been verified.

Today, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that the stoning has been “put on hold”. Although many are skeptical of these claims, it is possible that the combination of intense international pressure and protests and appeals by her friends and family are finally providing a glimmer of hope to Ashtiani. Only time will tell.