Iranians suspend death by stoning

betterdaze

Iran has suspended the punishment of death by stoning, state media say.

A judiciary spokesman said four people sentenced to die by stoning had had their sentences commuted and that all other cases had been put under review.

Lawyers and human rights campaigners have said at least eight women and a man are awaiting the punishment.

Stoning is the penalty for crimes such as adultery under Iranian law, but it is rarely carried out. The last such execution was reportedly last year.

Amnesty International called on Iran in January to abolish what it called a "horrific practice, designed to increase the suffering" of those condemned.

The country's penal code stipulates that before carrying out the punishment, men should be buried up to their waists and women up to their chests. The stones used must be large enough to cause the condemned pain, but not sufficient to kill immediately.

Amnesty also said a disproportionate number of those sentenced to death by stoning were women because they were not treated equally before the law and were particularly vulnerable to unfair trials.

'Under review'

Three people are said to have been stoned for adultery since a moratorium was called in 2002 by the judiciary chief, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi-Shahroudi.

The BBC's Jon Leyne in Tehran says this is because the authorities have been reluctant to completely abolish a penalty they say is endorsed by Islamic law.

Although stoning is not prescribed in the Koran, some Muslim scholars say it is in the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad.

Nevertheless, an Iranian judiciary spokesman said the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had commuted the sentences of two people to 10 years in jail. Two others would receive lashes, he said.

"The issued verdicts for all of these cases will not be carried out for now," Alireza Jamshidi said, according to Iranian state media.

"In a few other cases, these people have asked for forgiveness and their request... is under review," he added.

Human rights campaigners recently warned that eight women aged between 27 and 43 were sentenced to death by stoning for convictions including prostitution, incest and adultery. A 50-year-old male music teacher was condemned to a similar fate for having sex with one of his students.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7543791.stm

Rabbit

Thanks for posting this BetterDaze. The board has been...well...preoccupied throwing stones.

I am glad to hear that this Biblically/Koranically (word?) approved type of death sentence was suspended. Regardless of what the leaders may say, the bad PR about how it's citizens are treated...is making a difference. And many have died just for being human and for standing up for their human rights.

Even fundamentalists can be embarrassed into the 21st century. Look what happened went their president declared, "We don't have any homosexuals in Iran!"

Leaders can be so stupidly blind to what is apparent to everyone else.

choosing life

Hard to believe sometimes that people still stone others. To be buried up to your waist/chest first is even more brutal.

Thanks for sharing that.

Robdar

wow. how enlightened of them, the yahoos.

Gopher

Although stoning is not prescribed in the Koran, some Muslim scholars say it is in the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad.

A big eye-roll at that fact !!

So because some guy hundreds of years ago said you should stone people for having sex with the wrong people or whatever, that it should be studiously obeyed in the 21st century?

The Muslims often say "Peace Be Upon Him" after pronouncing the name of this prophet, while using his teachings to promote violence and unreasonable punishment.

Good for the Iranians who are reconsidering this medieval punishment.