Iran Backs Away From Stoning Case

International support rallied around an Iranian woman, Sakineh Mohammadi Astiani, as she inched closer to death by stoning for her dubious conviction under anti-adultery laws. Now the Iranian government has announced Astiani will not be stoned, though they were unclear if her death sentence had been lifted.

While this case holds a glimmer of hope for the regime’s treatment of women, 12 women and three men still face death by stoning in the country. —JCL

The BBC:

The authorities in Iran have announced that a woman convicted of adultery will not be stoned to death.

But it is not clear whether they have lifted the death sentence against Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who has been in prison in Tabriz since 2006.

The 43-year-old had already been punished with flogging for an “illicit relationship” outside marriage when another court tried her for adultery.

There has been an international campaign to prevent her being stoned.

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AP / Yves logghe

A woman portrays a victim of death by stoning at a protest in Brussels in 2005.