Amnesty International UK Press Release
Two Iranian sisters convicted of adultery face being stoned to death after the supreme court upheld the death sentences against them, the Etemad newspaper Monday quoted their lawyer as saying.
The two were found guilty of adultery — a capital crime in Islamic Iran — after the husband of one sister presented video evidence showing them in the company of other men while he was away.
“Branch 23 of the supreme court has confirmed the stoning sentence,” said their lawyer, Jabbar Solati.
The penal court of Tehran province had already sentenced the sisters identified only as Zohreh, 27, and Azar (no age given) to stoning, the daily said.
Solati explained that the two sisters had initially been tried for “illegal relations” and received 99 lashes. However in a second trial they were convicted of “adultery.”
The pair admitted they were in the video presented by the husband but argued that there was no adultery as none of the footage showed them engaged in a sexual act with other men.
“There is no legal evidence whereby the judge could have the knowledge for issuing a stoning sentence,” Solati said, adding that he had appealed to the state prosecutor.
“The two sisters have been tried twice for one crime,” Solati protested.
In the 1980’s people used to joke that the Soviet Union was little more than a third world country with rockets. Now it looks like Iran is about to become the first medieval theocracy to earn the same distinction.
In an odd pairing, Drudge linked to both a story about Iran’s new space center, and another about a byzantine joke of a death sentence for a woman convicted of “adultery.”
Trouble is, the video introduced at trial merely showed the women “hanging out” with other men. There was no evidence of sex. But the sentence was upheld by Iran’s “supreme court.” The story was also unclear about why the sister was charged, since she presumably wasn’t married to the same man.
But Iranians have never let all this quibbling about little things like ‘justice’ rain on their theocratic parade. “Double jeopardy? Sure. Adultery without sex? We do that before breakfast, for Allah’s sake!”
So it’s a new era of Muslim glory: They can now proudly hurl stones at defenseless women while they hurl rockets into space.
Fun!
5 comments
May I remind you that the President of the US of A proudly proclaimed several years ago that his mandate to invade Iraq came from GOD .
So, don’t hurl stones against a government/court system that indicates stoning of women for adultary as an appropriate sentence, when the “godly” mission of the US forces probably caused the death od several hundred thousand Iranians.
Oh, I forgot…the US of A has NASA. Quite a combination as well.
Peter,
OK, you’re right. I give up. You got me. The U.S. and Iran are no different.
8-)
No, don’t be so down. At least there is a chance things will change after eight years of utter desaster in US foreign and domestic politics. There is hope here – I do not know that there is that much hope in Iran.
Peter,
I was being facetious. I know the U.S. has it’s share of religious nutbags. But come on!
Besides, I thought we attacked Iraq, not Iran. Either way, two wrongs don’t make a right. Whatever the outcome, the U.S. at least in principle has a court and legal system that functions and reasonable protection for women’s rights. But you already knew that.
And I stand by my assertion that Iran is a medieval theocracy with rockets.
What is the U.S.? Maybe a 19th century nation with democratic ideals but burdened with Christian privilege, with 21st century technology, which is trying to go through the throes of growing up.
My mistake, should have read Iraqis, But – bush might not be done yet…
I agree with you in principle – regarding the theocracy in Iraq.
But I do not think that America is growing “up”. I think America has since its waking up to its own power somewhen in the 19th century clearly an agenda to by whatever means secure his status, economical and militarily, no matter what the cost to other nations.
http://academic.evergreen.edu/g/grossmaz/interventions.html
An interesting study.