Euro-MPs hail Iranian move over stoning

The reprieve for Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani came after Europe’s human rights watchdog, the Council of Europe, and the European Parliament, added to world pressure on Tehran to halt plans to carry out a sentence that the 43-year old mother-of-two should be stoned to death.

The Strasbourg-based Council of Europe sent a letter to the President of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran pointing out that the Council represented 800 million Europeans in 47 countries and warning: “This inhuman sentence and the mistreatment that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is suffering cast a tragic shadow on your country.”

The letter welcomed the announcement of the suspension and review of the sentence and said the woman’s release “would be a sign of good will”.

Meanwhile the European Parliament, also meeting in Strasbourg, unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the death sentence by stoning.

The resolution called for an end to all death sentences for adultery or homosexuality.

Ms Ashtiani was convicted in May 2006 of having an “illicit relationship” with two men and received 99 lashes as her sentence.

She was subsequently also convicted of “adultery” and sentenced to death by stoning.