Woman convicted of adultery, murder appears on Iranian TV

"Ashtiani was brought back to her home
in Osku "to produce a visual account" of the
death of her husband "at the crime scene."

(CNN) -- A woman convicted of murder and adultery and sentenced to die by stoning confesses to her part in the plot to kill her husband on an Iranian television program aired Friday night.

But the family of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has steadfastly denied that she played any role in her husband's death -- and a human rights organization that is trying to help Ashtiani called the program "a theatrical melodrama."

"There was a complete disregard for due process, bringing her out and making her a part of this theatrical melodrama is an attempt to try to convince the international public opinion that she is guilty," said Hadi Ghaemi, director of International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

Iran has drawn sharp criticism from the international community after Ashtiani's 2010 sentence to death by stoning. Officials ranging from Pope Benedict XVI to the European Union's top foreign policy official, Catherine Ashton, urged Iran not to carry out the sentence.

"Since the international outcry, the Iranian government is tap-dancing, trying to justify executing her," said Ghaemi.

Press TV, Iran's government-backed English language station, aired the half-hour special on "Iran Today." The program included interviews with -- among others -- Ashtiani and her son.

The program brought Ashtiani back to her home in Osku "to produce a visual account" of the death of her husband "at the crime scene."

"This is highly unusual because according to Iranian authorities this is a woman who is in prison convicted of adultery and murder and now she has apparently been plucked out of her jail cell and featured in this documentary," said CNN's Reza Sayah

"This was a program designed to promote the government's position," said Sayah.

This is not the first time Ashtiani has been brought out in front of cameras for an alleged confession.

The program also condemns the public campaign to free her.

"It was a very disturbing piece, it was the Iranian government turning a judicial case into a public relations case," said Ghaemi.

Press TV's release of still photographs of Ashtiani and her son from the interview, which took place on Sunday, fueled some speculation that they had been released, but there was no evidence or confirmation to support that conjecture.

Ashtiani was convicted of adultery in 2006. She also received a 10 year prison sentence for her alleged cooperation in the plot to kill her husband.

"The key point here is not just about Ashtiani, but about abolishing stoning in Iran. That is what the Iranian government is trying to diverge attention from. They don't want to talk about abolishing stoning or Iran's human rights record," said Ghaemi.

Two German journalists who interviewed Ashtiani were arrested in October and charged with espionage. He son and lawyer also were arrested, but it was not clear on what charges.

Source: CNN.com, December 11, 2010

Iranian TV shows Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani at home

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who was sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, was interviewed at home on Iran's state-run Press TV a few days ago, prompting human rights campaigners to erroneously celebrate her release.

Human rights campaigners condemned an Iranian television programme, aired tonight [December 10, 2010], which showed Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the woman sentenced to death by stoning, at her home apparently discussing her part in the murder of her husband.

Despite speculation that she had been released, Iran's state news agency confirmed that Mohammadi Ashtiani remains in prison.

Her jailed son also appeared in the programme, in which he played the role of his father in a reconstruction.

Iran's state-run Press TV, said it had been arranged with Iran's judicial authorities to accompany his mother to her house to record her recounting the crime and that she had agreed to do so.

"There are always two sides to a story and sometimes more," said the voice of a narrator who described Mohammadi Ashtiani as a "prostitute" and "adulterous woman".

In what was portrayed as a 'confession' Mohammadi Ashtiani was filmed saying that one of her husband's relatives, Isa Saharkhiz, asked her to render her husband unconscious before he could electrocute him. "We planned to kill my husband," she said, before showing in a reconstruction how she made him unconscious with an injection.

Curiously, Press TV also broadcast footage of Saharkhiz, who remains free. It said he had not agreed to be interviewed but failed to explain why he remains at liberty.

The channel also said Mohammadi Ashtiani's case remained open. It broadcast an interview with Mohammad Javad Larijani, an adviser to the Iranian supreme leader, in which he made previously reported comments that there was a "good chance" that her life could yet be spared.

However, hopes that she had been freed after photographs emerged of her at her home before the broadcast were dashed. The Italian foreign minister, Franco Frattini, and Maureen Harper, the wife of the Canadian prime minister, were among those who had welcomed unconfirmed reports of Mohammadi Ashtiani's release. Based on the photographs, several newspapers around the world also wrongly reported that she had been freed.

Earlier today Mousa Khalil-Elahi, a judiciary official in Tabriz, confirmed to Iran's state news agency, IRNA, that Mohammadi Ashtiani had not been freed. Khalil-Elahi was quoted by IRNA as saying: "Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is in prison and the reports about her release are false." He added: "There's no development in her case and she is still kept in Tabriz prison. She is in good health."Mohammadi Ashtiani has already appeared on state TV three times, but activists say her apparent confessions have been coerced.

Clare Bracey of Amnesty said: "International standards for fair trial, to which Iran is a state party, guarantee the right not to be forced to incriminate oneself or to confess guilt. The judiciary is in charge of this case and would have to have given permission for such an interview to take place. To organise a televised 'confession' midway through a judicial review of a serious case – where a woman's life hangs in the balance – makes a mockery of Iran's legal system."

She added: "That judicial review [for Mohammadi Ashtiani] is further hampered by the fact that Sakineh's son and lawyer have been detained. If Sajad Qaderzadeh and Javid Houtan Kian are being held solely for peacefully highlighting Sakineh's case, they should be released immediately and unconditionally."

Mohammadi Ashtiani's son Sajad was arrested in October along with her lawyer, Houtan Kian, and two German journalists who were detained after trying to interview her family.

Mina Ahadi of the International Committee against Stoning (Icas) said in reaction: "It is very, very sad for me to see that Iran has forced Sakineh's son, Sajad, to play in the role of his dead father in the reconstruction of the murder. This is really outrageous."

Houtan Kian also appeared in front of the camera claiming that he and Sajad had been taking orders from Mina Ahadi, an Iranian human rights activist who has publicised Mohammadi Ashtiani's case internationally.

Mohammadi Ashtiani was convicted in May 2006 of conducting an illicit relationship outside marriage. She was given a sentence of 99 lashes, but her case was reopened when a court in Tabriz suspected her of murdering her husband. She was acquitted, but the adultery charge was reviewed and a death penalty handed down on the basis of "judge's knowledge" – a loophole that allows for subjective judicial rulings where no conclusive evidence is present.

Embarrassed by international condemnation of the stoning sentence, Iran has tried to distract attention from Mohammadi Ashtiani's initial charge of adultery by introducing new charges against her and portraying her as a murderer.

Iran rarely carries out stonings. It executed 388 people last year, more than any other country apart from China, according to Amnesty International. Most were hanged. Ten Iranian women and four men are on death row awaiting execution by stoning.

In Pictures: Iranian TV shows Ashtiani at home. Click here to view the photo gallery

Source: The Guardian, December 11, 2010