|
Amnesty: Two sisters to be stoned to death in Iran |
|
|
|
|
Friday, 08 February 2008 |
Iran Focus
 London, Feb. 08 – The international human rights group Amnesty International warned on Thursday that two sisters, Zohreh and Azar Kabiri-niat, were facing execution by stoning in Iran for adultery.
The women were arrested on 4 February 2007 after Zohreh Kabiri-niat's husband filed a complaint against her and her sisters, Azar and Azzam, and also Azar's husband, Mohammadreza Bodaghi, and another man, according to the group. Zohreh’s husband claimed that they had had “illicit relations” and submitted as evidence video footage from a camera he had secretly installed in his house, which reportedly showed the two women with another man.
The five were tried in March 2007 and sentenced to flogging for "having illicit relations"; Zohreh also received five years' imprisonment for forming 'a centre of corruption', Amnesty said in a statement. “But after the floggings were carried out, fresh charges of ‘committing adultery while being married’ were brought against Zohreh and Azar Kabiri-niat. On 6 August 2007. Both were found guilty and were sentenced to death by stoning”, it said.
The charge of "adultery" was substantiated solely by the judge's 'knowledge', based on the video evidence and statements the sisters had made during their interrogation, according to the human rights group. Zohreh Kabiri-niat later said, "I do not accept my 'confessions' under interrogations, and I deny whatever it is that they claim I said".
Iran’s Supreme Court has rejected Zohreh and Azar Kabiri-niat’s appeal and ordered that the stoning sentence be carried out.
|
