Iran Human Rights, August 21: As the stoning sentence of Mrs. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has received increasing international attention, Iran Human Rights has published a short report on the sentence of stoning in Iran. Commenting this report, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of Iran Human Rights, said: "This report is based on information from reliable human rights sources as well as sources within the Iranian judiciary. Our purpose is to shed light on the facts regarding the incidence of stoning in Iran". He added:" Unlike what the Iranian authorities and some international media claim about the rare incidence of stoning in Iran, this report shows that punishment of stoning has been practiced by the Iranian authorities every year during the past four years.
We have also published names of 13 people besides Mrs. Ashtiani, including 10 women and three men, who are currently waiting for death by stoningin the Iranian prisons". Amiry-Moghaddam ended: "We hope that the international attention that Mrs. Ashtiani’s case has received, will also be directed towards all the others sentenced to death by stoning and will continue until this barbaric punishment is removed from the penal law". Iran Human Rights must emphasize that the numbers mentioned in this report are most probably lower than the actual numbers, because most of the stoning sentences by the Iranian authorities take place secretly and due to lack of access to information from many of the prisons in Iran. But still, all the stoning episodes in the past four years have either been confirmed officially (five cases) or unofficially (two cases) by the Iranian authorities. List of those with a stoning sentence in the Iranian prisons is based on the information gathered by the members of the campaign "stop stoning forever" that started in Iran in 2006, or reliable information from the lawyers or other human rights defenders in Iran. SEVEN CASES OF STONING BY THE IRANIAN AUTHORITIES SINCE MAY 2006: Two cases in May 2006: Mahboubeh Mohammadi, allegedly confessed under pressure to adultery, stoned to death together with Abbas Hajizadeh in May 2006 in Mashad Abbas Hajizadeh, stoned to death in May 2006 in Mashad (see above) One case in July 2007: Jafar Kiani, stoned to death in July 2007, in the village of Aghche Qand near Qazvin. His stoning sentence was halted due to international pressure. Stoning confirmed by the Iranian authorities Three cases in December 2008: Houshang Khodadadeh, stoned to death in December 2008 in the cemetery of Mashad, together with two other men (see below) Mahmood Gh., an afghan citizen, was stoned together with Hoshang Khodadadeh and another man, in December 2008. Mahmood managed to pull himself out of the hole and his stoning was halted based on the Iranian penal law A yet unidentified man was stoned to death together with Houshang Khodadadeh and Mahmood Gh (cases 4 and 5). The Iranian judiciary confirmed stoning of these men few weeks later. One case in March 2009: Vali Azad, stoned to death in March 2009 in Rasht. He was sentenced to death by stoning convicted of adultery. His stoning was later confirmed by the spokesperson of the Iranian judiciary. LIST OF SOME OF THE PEOPLE WITH A STONING SENTENCE IN THE IRANIAN PRISONS: WOMEN ON THE DEATH ROW BY STONING: Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani (43): Currently in the prison of Tabriz. Already sentenced to 99 lashes for immoral relationship and 10 years in prison for assistance in her husband’s murder. A court sentenced her to death by stoning for adultery. Due to massive international attention her stoning sentence has been halted, but she is in danger of death by hanging. Kobra Babaei: Currently in the prison of Tabriz. Mother of a 13 years old girl. Her husband Rahim Mohammadi who also was sentenced to death by stoning was hanged in 2009. Azar Bagheri (19): Currently in the prison of Tabriz. Sentenced to death by stoning convicted of adultery when she was 15 years old. Iran Eskandari (31): Currently in the prison of Ahvaz. Mother of a 13 years old boy. Sentenced to five years of prison convicted of complicity in the murder of he husband and stoning to death for adultery in 2005. The Sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2006. Fatemeh: Currently in one of Tehran’s prisons (probably Evin). Sentenced to retribution for involvement in her husband’s murder and death by stoning for adultery in 2005. Maryam Ghorbanzadeh (25): Currently in the prison of Tabriz Hashemi-Nasab: Currently in Vakilabad prison of Mashad Ashraf Kalhori (41): currently in Tehran’s Evin prison. Implementation of her stoning sentence was halted in 2006 after order from head of the judiciary. A woman identified as M. Kh.: Currently in Vakilabad prison of Mashad Sarimeh Sajhapp (or Ebadi; 31): Currently in the prison of Oroumieh. Mother of two children. Sentenced to death by stoning in the same adultery case as Boali Janfashani (see above). the sentence is upheld by the Supreme Court in December 2009. Kheyrieh Valania (42): Currently in the prison of Ahvaz. Sentenced to death by stoning in 2002. She has also been sentenced to prison for complicity in her husband’s murder, a claim that she has denied. MEN ON THE DEATH ROW BY STONING: Seyed Naghi Ahmadi: Currently in the prison of Sari. Sentenced to death by stoning for adultery in 2008. Boali Janfashani (33): Currently in the prison of Oroumieh. Father of one child. Sentenced to death by stoning in the same case as Sarimeh Sajhapp. Sentence upheld by the Supreme Court in December 2009. Mohammad Ali Navid Khamami: Currently in the prison of Rasht. Sentenced to death by stoning in 2008
Sources: Iran Human Rights, Campaign stop stoning forever, Jahan-e-zan, Amnesty International