In northern Afghanistan, a young couple were reportedly stoned to death in the Kunduz province’s Dasht-e-Archi district, in front of a crowd of 150 men, with the young woman stoned to death by men first. Responsible for Equality And Liberty rejects the barbaric practice of stoning and religious extremist groups that endorse and support such cruel killings, which frequently target women.
AP reports: “Taliban militants in northern Afghanistan stoned a young couple to death for adultery, which a rights group said was the first confirmed use of the punishment here since the hardline Islamist regime was ousted in 2001.”
“The Taliban-ordered killing comes at a time when international rights groups have raised worries that attempts to negotiate with the Taliban to bring peace to Afghanistan could mean a step backward for human rights in the country. When the extremists ruled Afghanistan, women were not allowed to leave their houses without a male guardian, and public killings for violations of their harsh interpretation of the Quran were common.
“This weekend’s stoning appeared to arise from an affair between a married man and a single woman in Kunduz province’s Dasht-e-Archi district.”
“The woman, Sadiqa, was 20 years old and engaged to another man, said the Kunduz provincial police chief, Gen. Abdul Raza Yaqoubi. Her lover, 28-year-old Qayum, left his wife to run away with her, and the two had holed up in a friend’s house five days ago, said district government head, Mohammad Ayub Aqyar.”
“They were discovered by Taliban operatives on Sunday and stoned to death in front a crowd of about 150 men, Aqyar said.”
Reports indicate that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is likely to face an Iranian court sentence on Saturday, August 21, 2010, but also states if she is to be stoned it will not be during Ramadan.
As previously reported, the Iranian government will not allow Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani asylum in Brazil. In another report by the Guardian, “ran appears to be quietly changing the sentences of Iranians awaiting death by stoning to hanging after international outcry following the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two.”
AP reports: “Iran will not send a woman who had faced death by stoning on an adultery conviction to Brazil, which has offered her asylum, the president said in a TV interview broadcast Monday.”
AHN: Iran Not To Execute Stoning Woman In Ramadan Month
— AHN reports: “Nearly two days after Iranian government has announced that the woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery will not face execution during the ongoing holy month of Ramadan, an Iranian court postponed her final sentence. A human rights group named International Committee Against Stoning said that the sentence in Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s case is likely to be announced on August 21 when her lawyer will make next appearance at the court.”
In Iran, attorney Mohammad Mostafaei, representing Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani – a woman sentenced to stoning, has gone missing after an attempt to arrest him by the Iranian authorities. According to human rights activists, his wife and brother-in-law are in custody of the Iranian police, and are being held at Tehran’s Evin prison. CNN is reporting that Iranian officials have told Mohammad Mostafaei’s father in law that the family members arrested would be freed in exchange for attorney Mohammad Mostafaei submitting to arrest.
Attorney Mohammad Mostafaei Missing (L) and Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani (R) Sentenced to Stoning (Photo: Sky News)
On July 24, 2010, Mohammad Mostafaei’s office was reportedly ransacked and he was interrogated for four hours at the Evin prison over his representation of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. He was released and then called back for furthering questioning, and then an arrest warrant was issued for Mohammad Mostafaei.
Mina Ahadi, with International Committee against Execution and Stoning (ICAS), has stated: “Mohammadi Ashtiani’s sentence is not Mostafaei’s first stoning case, he has defended many others against execution by stoning but it was Sakineh’s story which took world attention and made the Iranian authorities angry… It is ridiculous that they [officials] have taken Mostafaei’s family as ransom, they have somehow taken them hostage. This confirms what Sakineh’s son wrote in his public letter, that there’s no justice in Iran.”
“The Wife and brother-in-law of Mohamad Mostafaei, sakine’s lawyer, arrested – No word about Mostafaei himself”
“As we reported earlier, Mr. Mostafaei, Sakine’s lawyer, was summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence at Evin Prison. He presented himself there yesterday. A post on his weblog later informed the public that the authorities at Evin prison had questioned him about some financial issues. Some time after he left the prison the authorities called him and asked him to present himself once again. However, a short while after they went to his office to arrest him. Mr. Mostafaai was not there but his wife and his brother-in-law were arrested, instead, somewhere near the office.”
“The whereabouts of Mr. Mostafaie is currently unknown. According to our sources, his office has been sealed off by the authorities.”
“We have not yet been able to identify the prison where Mr. Mostafaei’s wife and brother-in-law are currently held.”
“The Islamic Republic, under the intense pressure of the world public opinion against the stoning sentence of Sakine, has now targeted her lawyer and put him under pressure. The interrogation over financial issues, specifically, is one of the regime’s customary ways to begin a charge-fabricating process. The Islamic Republic is trying, with everything in its power, to cut off the relations between Sakine and her family, on the one side, and her lawyer and the public opinion, on the other.”
“The International Committee Against Execution strongly condemns such persecutions as those executed by the Islamic Republic against Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani’s lawyer, Mr. Mostafaei, and his family. We urge all human rights organisations to take action as soon as possible and demand the immediate release of Mr. Mostafaei’s wife and brother-in-law. The Islamic Republic must be forced to stop harassing and intimidating Mr. Mostafaei and others like him in their legal efforts to pursue justice.”
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) rejects the barbaric practice of stoning and its targeted use in murdering and terrorizing women in Iran and around the world. We believe that that the path to ending such terrorism against women begins with support for our Universal Human Rights, including dignity, life, liberty, and equality.
We urge the public’s support in challenging such injustices and the barbaric practice of stoning.
Iran: Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani was Sentenced to be Stoned for Adultery
SPRINGWOOD New South Wales, Australia: July 24, 10:30am, Town Square
SYDNEY Australia: July 24, 2pm, QVB (Town Hall end near statue) – please join me in holding an informal protest handing out flyers. (contact: Kathryn, 0439 309 080)
VIENNA Austria: July 24, 5pm, St. Stephan’s Platz – 1010 Wien
Stephansplatz (contact: Maria Rohaly)
OTTAWA Canada: July 24, 12-3pm, in front of Parliament Hill.
TORONTO Canada: July 24, 2-4pm, In front of CBC News (250 Front St. West of Spadina Ave).
VANCOUVER Canada: July 24, 5pm, in front of the Art Gallery on Robson Street. (contact: 604 727 8986)
BIRMINGHAM England: July 24, 2-4pm, in front of the central library.
CHICHESTER England: July 24, 2pm, Town Centre, East street, in front of the old boots shop
EGHAM England: July 23, 6pm, Royal Holloway College, University of London, South Quad, Founders Building, Egham, Surrey
— Mission Free Iran reports: “ICAE Press Release #19: Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s case review postponed; final judgment will be made in 20 days”
— “In our last press release we reported that the Supreme Court in Iran would issue a statement on Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s case on July 21st, 2010. Today we have been informed by our sources in Iran that the Islamic regime has postponed a decision in Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s case for another 20 days. According to the sources, all documents of Sakineh’s case have been sent to the 9th division of the Supreme Court.”
— “We believe that Sakineh is still at risk of being executed or even stoned to death. The aim of the Islamic regime of Iran is clear: by pushing back the date of the final verdict they hope to buy time to escape the pressure of the international community. The Islamic regime is waiting for the international news coverage and the pressure to abate to then continue with their criminal activities.”
Iran: Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani was Sentenced to be Stoned for Adultery
Newsweek reports of eight other pending executions in Iran — stating “News of the imminent stoning of one Iranian woman for alleged adultery galvanized a global movement to save her. But sadly, her case was not an anomaly.” Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) rejects the barbaric practice of stoning, which is widely used against women in Iran and other parts of the world. We urge all to respect women’s rights and to respect our universal human rights for all people. We urge all to Choose Love, Not Hate – Love Wins.
DC’s Lincoln Memorial – July 11 – Protesters Challenge Stoning
Some of the protesters had also been part of the July 2 protest to call for the end to the stoning sentence of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43-year old Iranian woman, who has been convicted of adultery in the Islamic Republic of Iran and condemned to death by stoning, which was held at the Iranian Interests Section of the Pakistan Embassy in Washington DC.
R.E.A.L.'s Jeffrey Imm Urges Public to Sign Petition in Support of Sakineh at http://bit.ly/helpsakineh
Maria Rohaly spoke on the how Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was first sentenced by the Islamic Republic of Iran to 99 lashes in public for the accusations of adultery in Iran. Maria Rohaly stated that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani “has spent 5 years in prison for a non-crime that she did not commit. Subsequently, the Islamic Republic decided that that was not enough and they decided that she should buried in a hole up to her chest and have stones pelted at her head until she is dead – that is called stoning and this is called ‘justice’ in the Islamic Republic, and we say no to this kind of barbaric, medieval ‘justice’ that is disproportionally implemented against women in Iran and around the Islamic world. We are here today to ask you for your continued support in the outcry against the Islamic regime’s barbaric abuse of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani as well as number of other women who are currently under, and some men, who are currently under death sentences by stoning for the non-crime for consensual adult relations.”
Lincoln Memorial: Maria Rohaly Speaks Out Against Stoning and in Support of Sakineh
Protester Maria Rohaly stated that Iran is continuing to review the sentence for Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. While Iran may withdraw the stoning sentence, it may choose another form of death penalty against her. Maria Rohaly stated “there are still no guarantees that she will not be stoned to death, there are still no guarantees that she won’t be executed for a non-crime that she did not commit. Nevertheless they may lift the stoning sentence, what’s on the table now is a 10 year sentence.. Ten years in prison for something that she did not do is still unacceptable and with continued international pressure against this regime and against the barbaric ideas of what justice is comprised of , we can continue and we can force the regime to stop the sentencing of Sakineh, and it is not just about Sakineh it is about all women who are subjected to this inhumane form of justice. Mission Free Iran led the July 2 protestat the DC Iranian Interests Section and has helped to coordinate and promote protests around the world against Iranian stoning.
R.E.A.L. leader Jeffrey Imm condemned those who support stoning anywhere in the world, as a barbaric injustice against human beings and against humanity’s universal human rights. R.E.A.L.’s Jeffrey Imm told of one of a case of stoning of a 13 year old girl in Somalia who had been raped, that was also convicted for “adultery,” like Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. He urged our fellow human beings and the world governments to reject the barbaric practice of stoning as inhumane and a violation of human rights anywhere in the world. He also urged our fellow human being to unequivocally reject stoning and those groups that promote stoning, and addressed the Hizb ut-Tahrir group’s repeated demonstrations on June 22, 2010 and on World AIDS Day, where Hizb ut-Tahrir members have supported calls for stoning of others, including postings on the Hizb ut-Tahrir website supporting stoning.
As Women Watch in Audience, R.E.A.L.'s Jeffrey Imm Challenge All Men to Stand Up Against Violence Against Women
Jeffrey Imm had a special message for men, urging them to take responsibility for ending the barbaric practice of stoning and violence against women. He stated that “it is unmanly, it is wrong for any man to ignore the violence against women. Your daughters, your sisters, your mothers depend on you – they depend on you to speak out – the women around the world depend on you to speak out to other men and say ‘Enough is Enough,’ Stop the Violence against Women! Whether it is stoning, whether it is rape, whether it is any kind of institutionalized misogyny, we need men to speak out and take responsibility for what is happening around the world and determine to change it.” Jeffrey Imm also used the public awareness event to thank the Muslims who joined the protesters at the Lincoln Memorial event, and also to recognize the Muslim groups that are speaking out on behalf of democracy and freedom, such as the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD), American Islamic Congress (AIC), Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV), and other groups.
Activists included members of the social justice enterprise United4Equality, LLC, led by Carolyn Cook, which is dedicated to ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment (E.R.A.) by 2015, and in support of other social justice issues for women. Carolyn Cook has invested three years pro-bono on a new strategy for E.R.A. She lobbied Congress and secured a House sponsor to introduce a proposed bill for the E.R.A. Carolyn works with Maureen Gehrig in support of the United4Equality social justice enterprise, and has been an activist in many public events including Women’s Equality Day, International Women’s Day, and in support of human rights groups challenging the barbaric practice of stoning against women.
United4Equality's Maureen Gehrig - Consistency on Women's Rights in America: "We Can Be the Beacon of Hope"
United4Equality’s Maureen Gehrig spoke on behalf of feminists in condemning stoning and the abuse of women. She stated to women “this is time to use our heads” and urged women to speak out against violence against women in America as well, stating that those who commit abuse and women who are “not paying a price, to be let off, what does this say to anyone else in the country? Well, I guess the legal system doesn’t care… We need to get back to the rights of every human being, men and women. Because no matter what you are talking about whether it is a religion, whether it is a race, whether it is nationality, there is one thing we have in common… women and men… We need that equality and we need it in this country now, and then we can be the beacon of hope to the rest of the world that yes we can do it right. Don’t do as I say, but do as I do.”
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) invites the public to join us at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Sunday, July 11 at 2 PM to promote our shared support for democracy, freedom, human rights. We also will call for an end to stoning, and we stand in solidarity with Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani.
Join us on July 11, 2010 at 2 PM in Washington DC at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Steps – in a joint demonstration – not of what we are against, but what we support as all Americans: our democracy, our freedom,our universal human rights. We choose that spot where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood – with his courage of compassion years ago – on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Steps, and called out to the American conscience “I have a dream.” We know that realizing such a dream entails the responsibility of standing together – not just for what we oppose – but also for what we believe.
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Steps Location for Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) Rally
It is easy to take our freedoms for granted, but the truth remains that there are those in America and around the world who seek to deny such inalienable universal human rights, who seek deny democracy, who seek to deny freedom of religion, and who seek to deny basic human rights and dignity for our fellow human beings with different ethnic backgrounds, genders, and races.
We will also take the opportunity to oppose the barbaric punishment of stoning, and to stand in solidarity with those victims of stoning and those that have been condemned to stoning around the world, including Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani.
We also object to those groups that promote the barbaric punishment of stoning which Hizb ut-Tahrir supports in its public demonstrations. The barbaric practice of stoning is one that all human beings must reject in showing our love and dignity to our fellow human beings.
We urge all to Choose Love, Not Hate — Love Wins.
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July 11 Lincoln Memorial Event Logistics: Our event will be held from 2 to 3 or 3:30 PM ET on Sunday July 11, at the reflecting pool steps in front of the Lincoln Memorial (not the Lincoln Memorial steps). We are recommending that attendees take public transportation via the Washington subway to either the Foggy Bottom metro stop and walk south to the Lincoln Memorial, or the Smithsonian metro stop and walk west along the National Mall and 17th street to Lincoln Memorial (see details below). We have a National Park Service permit for our event.
Important note – the reflecting pool steps where our event will be located is on the east side of the 23rd street that goes between the Lincoln Memorial itself and the reflecting pool in front of it.
The Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC is on the far end of the National Mall and bisects 23rd Street (see PDF of map). It can be reached from Constitution Avenue from Henry Bacon Drive and from Independence Avenue from Henry French Drive. Limited parking may be available on Independence Avenue or Madison Avenue near the National Mall, or at the Jefferson Memorial. However, parking in Washington DC is scarce, and using public transportation is strongly recommended.
DC Subway and Walking Directions
Walking from Foggy Bottom subway stop to Lincoln Memorial
– Map in walking from Foggy Bottom to Lincoln Memorial
* Exit station using main exit
* Walk approx. 7 blocks S on 23rd St NW. (stay on 23rd Street essentially until you get within visual range of Lincoln Memorial)
* Turn right on Lincoln Memorial Circle SW.
* Walk a short distance W on Lincoln Memorial Circle SW.
Walking from Smithsonian subway stop to Lincoln Memorial
* Exit station using 12TH & JEFFERSON (THE MALL) exit
* Walk approx. 2 blocks W on Jefferson Dr SW.
* Turn right on 14th St NW.
* Walk approx. 1 block N on 14th St NW.
– Map in walking from Smithsonian subway to Washington Monument (en route)
* Keep walking past Washington Monument west in the direction of the Lincoln Memorial
* Cross 17th Street going west
* Walk past National World War II Monument west in the direction of the Lincoln Memorial
* Continue to walk down Washington Mall in the direction of the Lincoln Memorial * NOTE: that our rally will be on the side of the reflecting pool nearest the Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial is part of the National Mall and Memorial Parks. The memorial stands in West Potomac Park, near the convergence of numerous roads from throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. In terms of placement, the memorial occupies a highly symbolic and important position as the western “bookend” of the National Mall, while the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial provides the eastern component at the foot of Capitol Hill, two miles to the east.
Car
Interstate 395 provides access to the Mall from the South. Interstate 495, New York Avenue, Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, George Washington Memorial Parkway, and the Cabin John Parkway provide access from the North. Interstate 66, U.S. Routes 50 and 29 provide access from the West. U.S. Routes 50, 1, and 4 provide access from the East.
PublicTransportation
There are several Metro train and bus routes from the suburban areas surrounding the city. In addition to Washington, D.C. public transportation, adjacent state and commonwealth transportation authorities offer train service from area cites to the Nation’s Capital. Consult the Public Transportation link for additional details.
Parking
General visitor parking is available along Ohio Drive, SW between the Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson Memorials. Bus parking is available primarily along Ohio Drive, SW near the Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson Memorials and along Ohio Drive, SW in East Potomac Park. See the Maps section for a detailed understanding of these areas.
There is limited handicapped parking at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt and World War II Memorials and near the Washington Monument and the Thomas Jefferson, Lincoln, Korean War Veterans, and Vietnam Veterans Memorials; otherwise, parking is extremely scarce in Washington, D.C.
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.
Martin Luther King, Jr., delivering his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech from the steps of Lincoln Memorial. (photo: National Park Service)
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.
As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating “For Whites Only”. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
1. Head north on 20th St NW toward Q St NW 33 ft
2. Turn left at Q St NW 1.1 mi
3. Turn right at Wisconsin Ave NW 0.7 mi
Destination will be on the right
1. Head southeast on Connecticut Ave NW toward Woodley Rd NW 207 ft
2. Turn right at Woodley Rd NW 0.3 mi
3. Continue onto Garfield St NW 0.5 mi
4. Turn left at 34th St NW 0.2 mi
5. Turn right at Massachusetts Ave NW 246 ft
6. Turn left at Observatory Cir NW 0.3 mi
7. Continue onto Calvert St NW 0.1 mi
8. Turn left at Wisconsin Ave NW 0.3 mi
Destination will be on the left
Walking Map from Woodley Park Metro
Washington DC – Street View of Intersection of Wisconsin Avenue, N.W. and W Place, N.W.
Multiple media reports indicate that the stoning sentence for Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani may have been halted, but she may still face the death penalty in another form.
— Guardian: Iran halts woman’s death by stoning
— Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani could still face death penalty, despite reprieve that follows international campaign led by her children
— CNN: Iran denying Iranian woman will be executed by stoning
— CNN: “Iran’s government is denying reports that an Iranian woman convicted of adultery will be executed by stoning, though her death sentence may still be carried out by some other method.”
The Islamic Republic’s intention to stone Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani to death has unleashed a historically unprecedented amount of international public fury and pressure on the Islamic Republic. The regime did not expect this response from the world, and it has been caught off guard.
In an effort to buy time to decide how to react to the global pressure, and in an effort to reduce the intensity of the pressure that is mounting, the Islamic Republic’s Embassy in the UK has issued a statement noting that Ms. Ashtiani “will not be executed by stoning.”
This letter does not deny that Ms. Ashtiani is under a sentence of death. It does not preclude her execution by other means such as hanging. It gives no guarantee of her justly-demanded freedom.
The letter also states that stoning “has rarely been implemented in Iran.” The regime’s admission to the use of the barbaric practice of stoning nevertheless contains a documentable falsehood: evidence of the extent to which stoning has been practiced by the Islamic Republic is forthcoming.
By denying the intention to execute Ms. Ashtiani by stoning, the Islamic Republic has been forced to retreat from its preferred position, and this is a victory for us, but this is a little victory. It is a step forward, only one step.
Dissembling by the Islamic Republic notwithstanding, the Campaign to Save Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani will continue in full force until our demands are met:
1. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani must be released immediately and without condition. The world should hear her voice outside of the prison, announcing her freedom.
2. All those sentenced to be stoned for adultery must be released immediately and without condition.
3. The practice of stoning must be outlawed immediately.
4. All executions must be stopped immediately.
5. Zeinab Jalalian and Mohammad Reza Haddadi should be released immediately and without condition.
If the Islamic Republic thinks that it has seen pressure with this campaign to save Sakineh, it should recognize that this is only the beginning. The campaign to save Sakine points out our next steps: we will amplify our demands to remove the Islamic Republic from the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The Islamic Republic is indisputably undeserving of a seat on that Commission — or on any other international decision making body.
Mina Ahadi’s rebuttal of the press release issued by the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London on the stoning case
8 July 2010
With regards to the 8 July 2010 press release issued by the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London on the stoning sentence of Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani:
1. The Islamic Republic of Iran has retreated to some extent due to international pressure and widespread coverage received by the international campaign to save Sakine’s life. The main aim of the embassy’s press release, however, is to create doubt and detract from the campaign to save Sakine and others sentenced to death by stoning and execution.
2. Still the press release is a clear confirmation of the barbaric act of stoning saying only that the regime rarely carries out such sentences! The International Committee Against Executions and the International Committee Against Stoning has a list of 13 people languishing for years in prison awaiting death by stoning. The real numbers are much higher.
3. The embassy’s press release says Sakine will not be stoned but it does not say what fate awaits her. They may execute her instead. The regime has retreated from stoning on a number of occasions in the past but has executed the accused instead. The execution of Abdulla Farivar in Sari prison for the alleged crime of sex outside of marriage is a case in point. Therefore, Sakine’s life is still in danger.
4. The aim of the campaign to save Sakine Ashtiani Mohammadi is for an official rescinding of her stoning and execution sentence and her unconditional release. Sex outside of marriage and the sexual relations of adults is their private affair. It is not a crime and must never be prosecuted.
5. The Islamic Republic of Iran must officially rescind the stoning and execution sentences of Sakine and all those facing stoning and execution and end the inhuman and barbaric punishment of stoning and execution.
6. Even this limited retreat is a success for Sakine and her children Sajjad and Faride as well as all the activists of the campaign against executions and stoning and decent people everywhere. Our campaign has shown that we can force the regime to back down. The embassy’s press release will not stop us from intensifying our powerful campaign. The retreat, however limited, has shown that the regime is under pressure.
I congratulate all those who have joined and supported our campaign for this limited success. I ask however that you step up your efforts for Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani, Mohammad Reza Hadadi (juvenile offender awaiting imminent execution), Zeinab Jalilian (sentenced to death for ‘enmity against God’) and others awaiting execution and stoning. Our pressure is working. We must intensify it until we secure a victory for the people of Iran by saving the lives of Sakine and others. We mustn’t stop until we deprive the regime in Iran of this tool for suppression and murder.
International Committee against Stoning
International Committee against Execution
Mina Ahadi
8 July 2010
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Iran: Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani was Sentenced to be Stoned for Adultery
