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Iran to air new footage of death sentence woman
Source: Agencies |
December 11, 2010, Saturday
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IRAN'S state TV said yesterday it will air new footage of an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, the latest in state-orchestrated broadcasts on a case that has raised a global outcry.
The footage will show Sakineh Mohammedi Ashtiani, 43, at her home in northwestern Iran giving a reenactment of the murder of her husband, for which she has also been convicted, according to English-language Press TV.
The broadcast is an apparent attempt to deflect international criticism over the adultery sentence by bolstering Iran's claim that Ashtiani is a murderer. But there has been considerable murkiness over the charge. Authorities announced her murder conviction only after the uproar over the stoning sentence erupted last summer, and her lawyer Houtan Kian - who has since been arrested - said she was never formally put on trial for the killing and was tortured into confessing.
Iranian authorities could use the murder conviction, which is punishable by death, to justify executing Ashtiani - though by hanging not stoning. Officials have not announced whether Ashtiani was sentenced on the charge.
Iran has waged a heavy public campaign aimed at countering international criticism, accusing the West of stirring up controversy to damage the country's Islamic clerical leadership. Authorities have detained two German journalists who tried to interview Ashtiani's family, and Ashtiani has been shown several times on state TV, including one time to confess to the killing.
In the new footage, the mother of two was brought to her home outside the city of Tabriz to "produce a visual recount of the crime at the murder scene," Press TV reported.
It appeared that Ashtiani's face would be shown for the first time in the footage. In previous video of her aired on state TV, her face was blurred, but Press TV released still photos taken from the latest video showing her face, wearing a scarf over her hair, as she stands in various rooms of her home and in one photo appears to wipe tears from her eyes. The only previous image of her face was an undated picture released by Western human rights groups that seems to be an ID photo, showing a younger-looking Ashtiani with a black headscarf.
In the footage, she is accompanied by her son, Sajjad Qaderzadeh, who was arrested in October.
The footage will show Sakineh Mohammedi Ashtiani, 43, at her home in northwestern Iran giving a reenactment of the murder of her husband, for which she has also been convicted, according to English-language Press TV.
The broadcast is an apparent attempt to deflect international criticism over the adultery sentence by bolstering Iran's claim that Ashtiani is a murderer. But there has been considerable murkiness over the charge. Authorities announced her murder conviction only after the uproar over the stoning sentence erupted last summer, and her lawyer Houtan Kian - who has since been arrested - said she was never formally put on trial for the killing and was tortured into confessing.
Iranian authorities could use the murder conviction, which is punishable by death, to justify executing Ashtiani - though by hanging not stoning. Officials have not announced whether Ashtiani was sentenced on the charge.
Iran has waged a heavy public campaign aimed at countering international criticism, accusing the West of stirring up controversy to damage the country's Islamic clerical leadership. Authorities have detained two German journalists who tried to interview Ashtiani's family, and Ashtiani has been shown several times on state TV, including one time to confess to the killing.
In the new footage, the mother of two was brought to her home outside the city of Tabriz to "produce a visual recount of the crime at the murder scene," Press TV reported.
It appeared that Ashtiani's face would be shown for the first time in the footage. In previous video of her aired on state TV, her face was blurred, but Press TV released still photos taken from the latest video showing her face, wearing a scarf over her hair, as she stands in various rooms of her home and in one photo appears to wipe tears from her eyes. The only previous image of her face was an undated picture released by Western human rights groups that seems to be an ID photo, showing a younger-looking Ashtiani with a black headscarf.
In the footage, she is accompanied by her son, Sajjad Qaderzadeh, who was arrested in October.
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