Iran: Woman to Be Buried Up to Chest and Stoned to Death

Amnesty International ^ | 12/18/04 | Amnesty International

[freedom44]

An Iranian woman charged with adultery faces death by stoning in the next five days after her death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court last month. Her unnamed co-defendant is at risk of imminent execution by hanging. Amnesty International members are now writing urgent appeals to the Iranian authorities, calling for the execution to be stopped.

According to reports, Hajieh Esmailvand was sentenced to five years imprisonment, to be followed by execution by stoning, for adultery with an unnamed man who at the time was a 17 year old minor. Although the exact date of her arrest and trial are not known, it is reported that she has been imprisoned in the town of Jolfa, in the north west of Iran, since January 2000.

The Iranian Penal Code is very specific about the manner of execution and types of stones which should be used. Article 102 states that men will be buried up to their waists and women up to their breasts for the purpose of execution by stoning. Article 104 states, with reference to the penalty for adultery, that the stones used should “not be large enough to kill the person by one or two strikes, nor should they be so small that they could not be defined as stones”.

All death sentences in Iran must be upheld by the Supreme Court before they can be carried out. In November 2004, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence against Hajieh Esmailvand but changed the lower court's verdict from ‘death by hanging’ to ‘death by stoning’. Reports suggest that the Supreme Court has ordered that the remainder of Hajieh’s five year prison sentence be annulled so that the stoning sentence can be carried out before 21 December.

Amnesty International UK Media Director Mike Blakemore said:

"This is an urgent case. Hejieh could be killed in the next five days if we do not act quickly. Our members here in the UK are writing to the Iranian authorities, imploring them to stop this brutal execution. Campaigners in Iran are also taking action. But we need more people to stand up and be counted, to tell the Iranian authorities that this is not acceptable.

"Every day, thousands of women across the world face repression and violence, just because they are women. From the battlefield to the bedroom, women are at risk. Violence against women is a human rights atrocity and one we must tackle immediately."

The news follows reports of a 19-year old girl, "Leyla M", who has a mental age of eight, reportedly facing imminent execution for "morality-related" offences in Iran after being forced into prostitution by her mother as a child. According to a Tehran newspaper report of 28 November, she was sentenced to death by a court in the central Iranian city of Arak and the sentence has now been passed to the Supreme Court for confirmation.

Leyla M was reportedly sentenced to death on charges of "acts contrary to chastity" by controlling a brothel, having intercourse with blood relatives and giving birth to an illegitimate child. She is to be flogged before she is executed. She had apparently “confessed” to the charges.

Leyla was forced into prostitution by her mother when she was eight years old, according to the 28 November report, and was raped repeatedly thereafter. She gave birth to her first child when she was nine, and was sentenced to 100 lashes for prostitution at around the same time. At the age of 12, her family sold her to an Afghan man to become his “temporary wife”.

His mother became her new pimp, “selling her body without her consent”. At the age of 14 she became pregnant again, and received a further 100 lashes, after which she was moved to a maternity ward to give birth to twins. After this "temporary marriage", her family sold her again, to a 55-year-old man, married with two children, who had Leyla’s customers come to his house.

One in three women around the world suffer serious violence in their lifetime, at home, in the community or in war, just because they are women. Amnesty International is running a global campaign to 'Stop Violence Against Women'. The human rights organisation is calling on governments to repeal laws that permit and encourage violence against women, and on communities to challenge attitudes that allow violence to continue.

[MarMema]

This is so sad and heartbreaking. I will certainly pray for this woman. So much evil in the world....

[MarMema]

This breaks my heart. Can we do it?

[Just Lori]

I thought the getting stoned came first and then the sex part after that.


Usually, that would be funny.

[taxesareforever]

Paging Jesse Jackson, paging Jesse Jackson. Human rights violation about to occur in Iran. Your presence is needed to form a million person march in protest. Oh, I forgot. You are still trying to have the Ohio vote overturned. I guess you have your priorities in order.

[texasflower]

Does anyone remember what happened to the woman who was supposed to be stoned for adultery a couple of years back?

The one who was pregnant. They allowed her to give birth and then a year to breast feed before her stoning.

It seems to me that somehow she was spared.

Anyone know?

[Frog Legs]

This is one of many, many reasons why we should pray "Thy Kingdom come!!!!

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

I wonder if they're going to use the "humane" method of stoning or the ancient way. In the "modern" cities of Saudi Arabia, the "humane" method of stoning involves burying the woman up to her neck, then dropping a front end loader's bucket full of stones on her. They think it's more civilized.

The method of execution for a man is different. In Southern Saudi, the male adulterer is tied standing up in the town square, at the same place where heads and hands are cut off. A car drives up in front of the adulterer and a hooded executioner exits the vehicle. The executioner then shoots Mr Unlucky ( not sure how many shots are required by law). The executioner then leaves in the car. The reason I call him Mr. Unlucky is that adultery is harder to prove against a man than a woman over there. So there are less men executed than woman for the same crime. Go figure.

In all cases after an execution, the crowd goes wild.

[Nailbiter]

I know it is sarcasm, at least I hope is sarcasm, but my heart is breaking, god's children are dying.
Please refrain from making fun of something so serious.
Long time lurker, I do not find this amusing, All god's children deserve some respect,
Nailbiter

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Sorry, slight error on a detail with the last post. When I said hooded executioner, I forgot the executioner wears a ski mask instead.

[LibertyRocks]

It's just sickening...

"He who is without sin cast the first stone..."

As for the first woman - if she committed what in this country would amount to sex with a minor then yes, she is guilty - but stoning to death - and the victim gets executed, too? That's just so wrong on so many counts.

As for condemning a mentally deficient person whose mother was acting as her pimp - the authorities should be the ones executed! Her mother should definitely be in jail. This poor girl has suffered too much. The ONLY bright part of the story is that after it's said and done with she will surely find peace in heaven.

I can't believe it's 2004 and we're still talking about these types of "punishments" - ones that were common in biblical times. It's very frustrating reading about this as there is literally not much we can do but be witness and be aware that this is not a joke...it really happens more than we even hear of.

[vikzilla]

that the stones used should “not be large enough to kill the person by one or two strikes, nor should they be so small that they could not be defined as stones”.

"I'll take two Flats, a Round, and a Packet of Gravel"

[grey_whiskers]

islamic savages, one and all. Poor children.

[General Purpose Sarcasm Torpedo ARMED. FIRE!]

17-year-old boy, huh?

Hmm, I wonder how Mary Kay LeTourneau would fare over there...

[blackbart.223]

"As for condemning a mentally deficient person whose mother was acting as her pimp - the authorities should be the ones executed!"

Never forget that we are dealing with backward savages here.

[smoothsailing]

Calm down.

[beaversmom]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/785992/posts

Here's an article about the Nigerian woman. There are others on FR--if you do a search on stoning.

[trussell]

Prayer ping.

My prayers go up for this young lady. God's protection over her. Lord, please help this young lady. Provide her with safety and a reprieve from the lawmakers of her country. Provide her with comfort and peace. Surround her with your love. In Jesus' precious name. Amen

Marmema, thank you for the ping.

Blessings,
trussell

If you want on/off my prayer ping list, please let me know. All requests happily honored.

[Mister Baredog]

the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence against Hajieh Esmailvand but changed the lower court's verdict from ‘death by hanging’ to ‘death by stoning’.

Hanging wasn't CRUEL enough?

If these people get nukes we're doomed.

[PhilDragoo]

Coming up on the year when the discontented majority of Iranians depose their mullahocracy as the Israelis put our 5,000 JDAMs to the best possible use--on, say, anything in Iran which makes clickety noises on a geiger counter.

Be careful to protect the civil rights of those mullahs--no, on further consideration, take care to bury them to the proper depth and stone them with the proper-sized stones.

First, the Great Satan will stune their beebers with that dangerous radiation emitted by the female of the species:

[rdcorso]

I hope the lady in the story the other day who converted to Islam and married a Muslim is reading this story.I will never understand what would make a western woman give up all her freedom and submit herself to a life as a dog who is abused by its master.Maybe she thought getting stoned to death meant smoking a lot of weed until you pass out instead of being pelted by little rocks until you stop breathing.

[texasflower]

Thank you.