December 23, 2010

Once again, the judicial murder apparatus of the Islamic Republic is preparing to stone a woman and a man to death.

According to the news disseminated by HRANA, Sarieh (Sarimeh) Ebaadi, 31 years old and mother of two, and Vali (Bou-Ali) Jaanfeshaani, 35 years old and father of one, are about to be stoned to death in Orumiya. The two have been imprisoned for the past two years, and have been handed down stoning sentences by the judiciary system on three different occasions.

Sarieh (Sarimeh) Ebaadi and Vali (Bou-Ali) Jaanfeshaani were arrested two years ago, were charged with adultery, and in less than 3 months, the Ordinary Court of Orumiya (Branch 3 of Western Azerbaijan court) handed down their stoning sentences. This sentence was then confirmed on January 6, 2010 by branch 12 of the Review Court of Western Azerbaijan. On August 28, 2010, the Supreme Court first upheld the verdict, but later found the case not to be based on good law and referred the judicial decision to another branch in Orumiya court. This branch upheld the stoning sentence on December 12, 2010. This inhumane, hideous sentence has been handed down despite the fact that the accused were prevented from choosing their lawyer and had not been given a chance to defend themselves in any part of the legal procedure.

The vast and intensive protests of people and general opinion across the world against Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s stoning sentence, and against stoning in general, had forced the Islamic Republic to deny [the existence of] these sentences and their implementation, but the Islamic Republic depends on these crimes for its survival.

A regime that stones, that imprisons pregnant women and sentences them to stoning, execution, lashes and torture, should not be recognized by anyone, anywhere [as a legitimate government]. Officials of such a regime should not have a place in international organizations. They should instead be prosecuted and punished for 32 years of murder, torture, execution, stoning and lashing, for crimes against humanity.

The International Committees against Stoning and Execution call on all organizations, institutions, mass media and honourable, humanitarian people of the world to decisively protest against these heinous crimes of the Islamic Republic, and show the Islamic Republic that these crimes outrage the people of the world and will bring about their vast protests.

International Committee against Stoning
International Committee against Execution