International supporters of a woman condemned by the Iranian government to be stoned to death for adultry are breathing a sigh of relief upon news that she has been freed after worldwide outcry against her punishment.
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two, who had been held in prison since 2006 was shown on Iranian state television meeting with her son Sajad Ghaderzadeh at her home in northwestern Iran, The (UK) Guardian reported on its website Thursday.
(Read: Death By Stoning — Iran’s Internal Debate)
The case brought a global focus on Iran, whose interpretation of Islamic law dictates stoning, despite a much-criticized human rights record. Ashtiani had been accused of an adulterous relationship and supposedly even “confessed” to being involved in the murder of her husband. However, defense lawyers argued that the confession was coerced and a language barrier stood between Ashtiani and her accusors.
“This is the happiest day in my life,” Mina Ahadi of the International Committee Against Stoning (ICAS), a group that fights against the punishment in Islamic countries, told the Guardian. “I’m very happy for her son, Sajad, who fought single-handedly and bravely in Iran to defend his mother and tell the world that she is innocent.” (via the Guardian)