PR 123
May 5, 2011

A delegation of International Committee Against Execution (ICAE), consisting of Mina Ahadi and Patty Debonitas (also Spokesperson of Iran Solidarity) met with the Millenium Institute based in Rio de Janeiro today with a series of politicians of the Brazilian government to discuss the human rights violations in Iran, specifically stoning and executions and the case of Sakineh Ashtiani.

The meetings were part of a tour that started in Sao Paulo on 3 May with a day long conference on “democracy & freedom” at which Mina Ahadi, spokesperson of ICAS, gave a speech on Iran and took part in the panel on democracy, freedom and human rights.
The delegation was in the capital Brasilia today, welcomed first by the minister Maria Do Rosario, secretary for human rights accompanied by Fabio Balestro Floriano, the director of the secretariat of human rights, department of international relations. Minister Do Rosario expressed her and president Dilma Rousseff’s solidarity with women facing violence and stated the Brazilian government’s willingness for an open dialogue with Mina Ahadi and her cause.
Ms Ahadi related the wishes and hopes of mothers and children whose loved ones are facing execution in Iran to the Brazilian government. Ms Ahadi talked specifically about the case of Ms Ashitani who has been sentenced to death by stoning. Minister Do Rosario stated that the ‘death penalty is always a horror’ and that stoning is ‘unacceptable’. She added that the Brazilian government is not only committed to show solidarity with victims but to also rescue them.

In a second meeting at the Senate, the delegation met with the president of the human rights committee of the Brazilian Senate, Senator Paulo Paim. He said that the fight against violence is an ongoing fight and stated that he would present a resolution to the Human Rights Committee for discussion and approval stressing the importance of human rights in the world and to especially condemn the stoning of women in Iran.

Mina Ahadi states that the Brazilian government must put more pressure on those governments that practise stoning and should cut their diplomatic relations with those governments.
Mina Ahadi will be speaking about the human rights situation in Iran and the case of Sakineh Ashtiani tomorrow, Friday 6 May at the IBMEC University of Rio de Janeiro.
International Committee Against Execution
International Committee Against Stoning
http://stopstonningnow.com
http://notonemoreexecution.org/

Spokesperson: Mina Ahadi: minaahadi@aol.com 0049-(0)177 569 24 13