Iran suspended stoning of woman

Iran has announced that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani will not be executed by stoning. The Times newspaper of London published the statement of the Iranian embassy on Friday which declares: “According to the information achieved from competent authorities, Sakineh Mohammadi will not be executed by stoning”.
Following the stoning sentence for Mrs Ashtiani, international pressures were launched to cancel this verdict and were intensified during the recent days.
Human rights organizations and a number of countries including the USA and Britain condemned issuing these kinds of verdicts and called them instances of barbarism and killing by torture.
The children of the woman had written an emotional letter to the international community asking it to save their mother. Here is the text:
“Today we stretch out our hands to the people of the whole world. It is now five years that we have lived in fear and in horror, deprived of motherly love. Is the world so cruel that it can watch this catastrophe and do nothing about it?
We are Sakine Mohammadi e Ashtiani’s children, Fasride and Sajjad Mohamamadi e Ashtiani. Since our childhood we have been acquainted with the pain of knowing that our mother is imprisoned and awaiting a catastrophe. To tell the truth, the term “stoning” is so horrific that we try never to use it. We instead say our mother is in danger, she might be killed, and she deserves everyone’s help.
Today, when nearly all options have reached dead-ends, and our mother’s lawyer says that she is in a dangerous situation, we resort to you. We resort to the people of the world, no matter who you are and where in the world you live. We resort to you, people of Iran, all of you who have experienced the pain and anguish of the horror of losing a loved one.
Please help our mother return home!
We especially stretch our hand out to the Iranians living abroad. Help to prevent this nightmare from becoming reality. Save our mother. We are unable to explain the anguish of every moment, every second of our lives. Words are unable to articulate our fear…
Help to save our mother. Write to and ask officials to free her. Tell them that she doesn’t have a civil complainant and has not done any wrong. Our mother should not be killed. Is there any one hearing this and rushing to our assistance?”

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