I just watched the movie “The Stoning of Soraya M.” which is a film based on a true story of a book by the same name written by Freidoune Sahebjam. It was a really good movie and I’m sure the book is even better, but it’s extremely sad and shows just how barbaric and disgusting the Iranian legal system can be.
In the movie, the story is told to a reporter by Zahra, Soraya’s aunt, explaining the terrible fate that had befallen her niece the day before. In short, Soraya’s husband, Ghorban-Ali wanted out of his marriage so that he could marry a 14 year old girl. Soraya had no way to care for her family so she wouldn’t agree to the divorce so Ghorban-Ali instead accused her of adultery. She was then buried up to her waist and stoned to death by the residents of the small village.
Just watching this movie isn’t what prompted me to write this article, although it should have, but instead a story on CNN about a mother of two children who could be stoned to death at any moment for the same crime of Soraya’s. Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani has been given the death sentence by Iranian authorities for committing Adultery.
She confessed to the crime and was convicted in 2006 after being subjected to 99 lashes. She has since retracted her confession, but the judges are sticking to the conviction despite being based solely on determination of judges and not on evidence.
The International Committee Against Stoning are currently doing everything they can to stop the stoning from happening. You can visit the site to send a protest letter to Amnesty International and the UN High Commissioner for the Office of Human Rights to help save her life.