Women’s Stoning Penalties Lessened in Iran (UA 257/06)

Kobra N. has had her sentence of stoning commuted to 100 lashes. Soghra Mola’i, who had been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for being an accomplice to the murder of her husband Abdollah, and to execution by stoning for adultery, was cleared of the charge of adultery after a reinvestigation of her case that ended in Novermber 2007. She was sentenced to 80 lashes for having “illicit relations.” After being flogged, she was transferred to Varamin Prison near Tehran. Fatemeh is beliebed to have had her sentence of stoning, imposed in 2005, overturned. After a retrial, she is said to have been acquitted of the carge of adultery and to have been sentenced to three years imprisonment in connection with the death of a man with whom she is said to have had an affair. Amnesty International does not have details of when the retrial took place. Iran and Khayrieh both remain detained in prisons in Khuzestan province and Abdollah Farivar Moghaddam remains detained in Sari Prison, all under sentence of stoning. Amnesty International will continue to campaign on their behalf.