Iran: Further information on Death Penalty / stoning
PUBLIC AI Index: MDE 13/014/2009
Further Information on UA 257/06 (MDE 13/113/2006, 28 September 2006 and follow-up, MDE 13/141/2006, 21 December 2006) Death Penalty/stoning
IRAN Iran (f)
Khayrieh (f)
Kobra N (f), aged 44
Soghra Mola'i (f)
Fatemeh
Abdollah Farivar Moghaddam (m), about 50
Kobra N has had her sentence of stoning commuted to 100 lashes. On 19 January 2009 her lawyer, Maryam Kiyan Ersi, told the Women’s Field website (http://www.meydaan.net/english/showarticle.aspx?arid=742) that the Head of the Judiciary had finally issued the order for commutation, two years after she had submitted a letter explaining the details of the case and asking for an amnesty.
Kobra N was forced into prostitution by her husband, a drug addict, who was violent towards her. In 1995, after he had beaten her, Kobra N told one of her regular customers that she wanted to kill her husband. The customer murdered her husband after Kobra N took him to an arranged meeting place. The man was sentenced to death, but was pardoned by the victim’s family, to whom he paid diyeh (financial compensation, also called "blood money"). Kobra N was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for being an accomplice to murder, and to three years’ imprisonment for obstructing the course of justice. Previously, her application for clemency had been rejected three times.
Soghra Mola’i, who had been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for being an accomplice to the murder of her husband Abdollah, and to execution by stoning for adultery, was cleared of the charge of adultery after a reinvestigation of her case that ended in November 2007. She was sentenced to 80 lashes for having “illicit relations”. After being flogged, she was transferred to Varamin Prison near Tehran to serve the remainder of her prison sentence.
Fatemeh is believed to have had her sentence of stoning, imposed in 2005, overturned. After a retrial, she is said to have been acquitted of the charge of adultery and to have been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment in connection with the death of a man with whom she is said to have had an affair. Amnesty International does not have details of when the retrial took place.
Iran and Khayrieh both remain detained in prisons in Khuzestan province and Abdollah Farivar Moghaddam remains detained in Sari Prison, all under sentence of stoning. Amnesty International will continue to campaign on their behalf.
No further action is requested from the UA network on this case. Thanks to all those who sent appeals.