Theos-Talk Archives (August 2010 Message tt00046)

Dear friends,

In a community of human rights, I found this sample letter, to be send to the 
Ayatollah Sadegh, I have also the info about the e-mail which we should send it 
in the following web-site:
http://www.dadiran.ir/tabid/75/Default.aspx

I will send it, please if anyone wanna join us sign the name underneath. If you 
wanna send it by your own follow this instructions:
(put given name in first starred box, family name in second starred  box, and 
email address in third. Paste appeal in large box) in the link of the web-site 
above. 




 
To: Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani 
Head of the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh (Office of the Head of the Judiciary) 
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri, 
Tehran 1316814737, 
Islamic Republic of Iran
Your Excellency,
We call on you to do everything in your powers to address our grave human rights 
concerns overthe sentencing meted out to Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, who has 
been condemned to death by stoning for adultery. 

On 15 May 2006, Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani was convicted of having an âillicit 
relationshipâ with two men and was sentenced to 99 lashes by Branch 101 of the 
Criminal Court of Osku, in East Azerbaijan Province. Then, in a September 2006 
trial, Ms. Mohammadi-Ashtiani was once again accused of committing âfornication 
while marriedâ. During this trial, Ms. Mohammadi-Ashtiani retracted the 
âconfessionâ she supposedly made during pre-trial interrogation, alleging that 
she had confessed under duress, and declared her innocence. Two of the five 
judges found her not guilty, pointing to the lack of evidentiary proof in the 
case against her, and noting that she had already suffered 99 lashes due to her 
previous sentencing. However, Ms. Mohammadi-Ashtiani was still found guilty on 
the basis of âjudgeâs intuition,â even in the absence of clear or conclusive 
evidence, and was sentenced to death by stoning on 10 September 2006.
As you know, Iranian law dictates that a second charge may not be brought 
relating to an offence of which a person has already been convicted. In Ms. 
Mohammadi-Ashtianiâs case, she has already been convicted and punished on the 
same set of facts. A mother of two young children, Ms. Mohammadi-Ashtiani has 
asked for a pardon from the Amnesty and Clemency Body twice, but both times her 
requests have been denied.
We consider the sentencing of Ms. Mohammadi-Ashtiani to put Iran in grave 
violation of its human rights commitments. Article 39 of the Iranian 
Constitution bans all affronts to the dignity of detained or imprisoned persons. 
Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) 
demands that âNo one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or 
degrading treatment or punishment.â
As a state party to the ICCPR, Iran has also made an explicit and unreserved 
commitment under Article 6 (2) that if the death sentence is imposed it is to be 
âonly for the most serious crimes.â The UN Human Rights Committee has made it 
clear that treating adultery and fornication as criminal offences does not 
comply with international human rights standards.We urge your government, as a 
State party to the ICCPR, to ensure that any legislation or changes in Iranâs 
penal code will be in line with Iranâs obligations under international law. We 
ask you to prohibit judges from imposing a sentence of either death by stoning 
or other forms of cruel punishments, such as flogging, on those charged with 
having consensual sexual relations. We ask you to issue an immediate moratorium 
on executions by stoning until the law is amended. All individuals currently 
under death sentence through stoning in Iran should have their sentences 
commuted immediately. In addition, as women are found to be disproportionately 
charged with adultery and fornication in Iran, we urge you to work for the 
removal of all provisions in the Iranian legal codes that discriminate against, 
or have a discriminatory impact on women because of their gender, thus putting 
them at risk of unfair trials and convictions. 

Yours respectfully, 

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