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.
— 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.”
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
Iran Human Rights Activist Maria Rohaly Calls for Freedom for Sakineh Ashtiani and An End to StoningJuly 2, 2010: Washington DC - Activists Protest outside of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Interest Section of the Pakistan Embassy
Outside of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Interest Section of the Pakistan Embassy, human rights activist Maria Rohaly read a protest statement calling for ending of stoning in Iran: “We are gathered here today in response to the plight of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani and her children.” Maria Rohaly stated that her children “have called upon the world for help to save their mother’s life. We in Washington DC tell them that we feel their pain and we know their grief. We want them to know that they are not alone in their sorrow and their anguish. Dear children, your letter has raised a wave of sympathy and compassion, demonstrating that humanity is alive. Today, we loudly declare: 1. First the stoning verdict against Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani should be discarded. Execution is murder by the state. 2. Stoning is the most savage and most merciless form of execution and should be abolished, must be abolished in Iran and worldwide. 3. Third, sexual relationships between adults are private matters and no individuals, no institutions, and especially, no government, has the right to interfere in these matters. 4. Fourth, we strongly condemn the Islamic Republic [of Iran] for its barbaric implementation of stoning, execution, and torture… we call upon all international institutions as well as the United Nations and the European Union to strongly condemn the Islamic Republic and demand that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s stoning verdict be overturned, as well as verdicts of all others that [Iran] plans stoning and executions. 5. We use this opportunity to demand immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, including Zeinab Jalalian. 6. The Islamic Republic of Iran’s leaders must be prosecuted and punished in an international court on charges of stoning and executions of tens of thousands of people. No to execution, no to stoning, and no to murderous laws.”
Demonstrators protested alongside Wisconsin Avenue and alerted motorists and pedestrians to the stoning threat to Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtianii. Some of the protesters also marched from the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Interest Section of the Pakistan Embassy at 2209 Wisconsin Avenue, Northwest to Dupont Circle to distribute fliers to the public on this issue and urge them to contact their governments on the barbaric acts of stoning that have taken place, and are planned to take place in Iran.
July 2, 2010: Washington DC - Activists Protest outside of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Interest Section of the Pakistan EmbassyJuly 2, 2010: Washington DC - Activists Protest outside of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Interest Section of the Pakistan EmbassyJuly 2, 2010: Washington DC - Activists Protest outside of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Interest Section of the Pakistan EmbassyJuly 2, 2010: Washington DC - Activists Protest outside of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Interest Section of the Pakistan Embassy
An international campaign led by Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s children has sought to alert the world to this and call upon the Iranian government to quash her conviction, which was obtained after she was lashed 99 times. Demonstrators also condemned the barbaric practice of stoning and the inequality of women in Iran. According to the Guardian, “Under Iranian sharia law, the sentenced individual is buried up to the neck (or to the waist in the case of men), and those attending the public execution are called upon to throw stones.” CNN, Radio Free Europe/Radio Free Liberty, the Daily Mail, and other media have reported on this story. Mission Free Iran, the Human Rights & Secular Democracy For Iran group, International Committee Against Stoning, and R.E.A.L. have sought to publicize the campaign to stop the stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani.
Friday July 2 at 6pm in front of the Islamic Republic’s Interests Section of the Pakistani Embassy (2209 Wisconsin Ave NW, Wash DC).
The children of Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani have reached out to the world with a heart-rending appeal: Protest against our mother’s stoning!
Mission Free Iran is organizing Washington DC’s participation in the global protest to respond to the appeal of Sakine’s children and demand a stop to the barbaric execution of Sakine by stoning.
We will meet in front of the Islamic Republic’s Interests Section of the Pakistani Embassy at 6pm on Friday, July 2, 2010 to tell the Islamic Republic that we will not stay silent while one more woman is stoned to death in Iran. We will later walk to DuPont Circle and raise awareness of Sakine’s situation in the community.
Please feel free to bring your own signs with messages protesting the barbaric and criminal stoning act that the Islamic Republic has planned for our sister, Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani.
* We will demand freedom for Sakine.
* We will demand an end to stoning, and to all executions in Iran.
* We will demand removal of the Islamic Republic from the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
* We will demand that the Islamic Republic be put on trial in international court for its crimes against humanity.
There will be an open mike so that anyone who wishes to speak may express themselves.
“He said his mother was an outspoken critic of the regime and especially Khomeini from day one. She was a teacher and had spoken against the regime and authorities at work. “One day when we were all having lunch, they stormed in and took my mother with them … it all happened so quickly. It didn’t even take two weeks when, one day, they announced in the town ‘come and witness a women being stoned.’ That woman was my mother.”
He said that with fear and in a state of shock, he went and from a distance witnessed his mother being stoned to death… he believes though that his mother was still alive when buried. This man has sent me his indictment against the savage thuggery of this anti-human, fascist regime, to be introduced to an international court.”
– Rescue Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani, Prosecute Leaders of the Islamic Republic! by Mina Ahadi
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Additional Activism to Challenge Groups Promoting Stoning
