Tehran Court rules 25-year-old woman convicted of adultery must be executed despite pregnancy. Her lawyer hopes to have sentence 'commuted' to lashing
An Iranian court has sentenced two more women to death by stoning, a human rights group reported Thursday, adding the horrific sentence was made worse by the fact that one of the women was pregnant.
Maryam Ghorbanzadeh was recently convicted of adultery and although she is pregnant, was sentenced by an Islamic court to death by stoning.
However, given her condition, there is a chance the sentence would be changed into death by hanging, which is the customary method of execution in Iran.
Her attorney told the media he was trying to have her sentence commuted to lashing, adding that even if her original sentence will remain unchanged, she will not be executed until she delivers.
Held at the Tabriz prison alongside Ghorbanzadeh is Azhar Bakri, 19, who was also sentenced to death by stoning after being convicted of adultery.
Bakri was jailed four years ago after her husband, whom she married at 14, accused her of having an extramarital affair. According to various reports, she has suffered massive abuse by the guards.
The International Committee against Executions, which is run by Iranian expats, vehemently denounced the verdicts and called for the immediate rescindment of all similar death penalties.
The group's data indicated that over the past 13 years, Tehran had to rescind 13 death sentences against women.
The most recent similar death sentence to catch the world media's attention is that of 43-year-old Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who was convicted of adultery in 2006 and has already received a punishment of 99 lashes.
