General

Originally sentenced to stoning, Iranian woman to be hanged

Supporters say punishment could be meted out as early as today

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the Iranian woman who became the focus of human rights campaigns across the world after she was sentenced to death by stoning in 2006 is now facing hanging. Her supporters say the new death sentence could be carried out as soon as today. Ashtiani, 43, has been convicted of the double charge of adultery and conspiring to kill her husband, and received 99 lashes. In August of this year, she confessed to complicity in the 2005 murder of her husband in an appearance on state-run TV. Human rights groups dismissed the confession as an attempt by the Iranian government to taint her image. Ashtiani is awaiting her fate in a prison in Tabriz, a city in north-west Iran. Her lawyer was arrested in October.

The Independent

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