The Stoning of Soraya M Sheds Light on an International Problem

When French-Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam finds himself stranded in a small Iranian village after his car breaks down, he's approached by a local woman named Zahra who says she has a story for him.

"Why should I listen to you?" he asks. "The voices of women no longer matter anyway in this country."

"Hear my story first, then you will know why you should listen," Zahra replies.

What ensues is a harrowing tale of Zahra's niece, Soraya, who was stoned to death the day before by the local villagers including her own young sons. Soraya had been falsely accused of adultery by her husband who wanted to get rid of her so he could marry a 14-year-old girl.

This isn't just another Hollywood story. It's a true story that happened nearly 20 years ago and became an international bestseller by Freidoune Sahebjam titled "La Femme Lapidée" ("The Stoning of Soraya M" is the American title).

The film, starring James Caviezel ("Passion of the Christ") and Academy Award nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo ("House of Sand and Fog" and "24") was released in 2008 and is now on DVD.

While this incident may have happened 20 years ago, it's a story and a film that still resonates today.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is an Iranian woman who has been sentenced to death by stoning in Iran for adultery.

She was tried in May 2006 for having an "illicit relationship" with two men. While she originally confessed to the relationship, her husband was deceased at the time. She was sentenced to 99 lashes, which was carried out.

Then in June of the same year another court was prosecuting one of the two men in the death of her husband. This is when the adultery accusations were brought up, to which Ashtiani retracted her original confession, saying that it was made under duress. It was then that she was sentenced to stoning.

The Iranian Supreme Court confirmed her death sentence on May 27, 2007 and only a pardon from the Ayatollah could prevent the execution.

The Iranian Embassy in London issued a statement saying, "According to information from the relevant judicial authorities in Iran, she will not be executed by stoning punishment," leaving open the possibility of execution by another method. In August 2010 her lawyer was told that she could now face death by hanging.

Rumors also began that she had been lashed another 99 times in prison over a photograph released by The Times of London, which is reported to show Ashtiani without a head scarf. Her son denies that the photograph is of his mother and a woman purportedly to be Ashtiani gave an interview on Iranian television saying that "these are all lies and rumor," and that she had not been lashed or tortured while in prison. However, her image in the video is blurred.

The Times of London later apologized, saying that they had misidentified the woman as Ashtiani.

Thanks to her son and daughter as well as human rights organizations around the world, the death sentence was supposedly put on hold this summer. When asked whether or not the sentence was lifted, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, "When I represent the Iranian government, how come is it that I am unaware of what you are telling me and that you should be aware of it? This is an issue that is being considered. It''s still being processed."

However, Ahmadinejad also said that reports of a woman being sentenced to killing by stoning in Iran were fabricated and "made up," and part of Western propaganda.

Meanwhile Ashtiani's son says that he wants proof that her sentence has been put on hold.

"We have so far not received an official and legal document on stopping the stoning sentence and execution, we therefore do not accept these claims," Sajjad Ghaderzadeh said in a statement. "They must issue us legal documents in this regard."

A report on stoning in Iran published by the International Committee against Execution says that, "The Islamic Republic of Iran is the only political regime in the world that has been constantly and systematically issuing and executing stoning sentences during the 31 years of its existence. Stoning in Iran is a political tool in the hands of an Islamic regime to oppress the society as a whole in one of the most savage ways."

The report goes on to say, "The overwhelming majority of the victims of stoning are women. Stoning in Iran is therefore a tool, among many such religious, oppressive tools, for keeping women in their place."

According to the report, Iran's judiciary indicated in 2002 that stoning would no longer be practiced; however, "since 2003, eight people have been stoned to death, and 47 people have either been sentenced to death by stoning or the courts have upheld their stoning sentences."

The report also describes the act of stoning:

"The accused is made to wear a white sheet and buried in a hole in the ground, males up to their waist and females up to their chest, and then tortured to death by having stones thrown at them. The stones should not be so big that they kill the victim quickly, but not too small either. The aim is to kill the person gradually with the utmost pain. During stoning, if the man or woman manages to escape from the hole, they are free to go."

Between 1980 and 2010, over 150 men and women have been stoned in Iran. Currently there are at least 22 prisoners waiting to be stoned.

The act of stoning is carried out in countries under Islamic governments and include the Islamic Republic of Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and in Afghanistan by the Taliban.

At least 15 men and women have been saved from stoning thanks to the outcry of international efforts, including many human rights groups such as the International Committee against Stoning and the International Committee against Execution.

You can join in this public, international outcry by visiting stopstoningnow.com and learning about the many ways you can get involved. Don't just sit back and think that nothing you do or say could possibly make a difference.

Let your voice be heard.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men (and women) do nothing.

Joshua Rhett Miller and Newscore, Woman Convicted of Adultery Will Not Be Stoned but May Still Be Put to Death, Iran Says.
Shirzad Bozorgmehr, Iranian media: Woman sentenced to stoning denies lashing over photo.
Lalit K Jha, Ahmadinejad: No Stoning Sentence Against Ashtiani.
International Committee Against Execution, Figure and Statistic Report on Stoning in Iran.
Official Website, The Stoning of Soraya M.