Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is in “perfect health” said an Iranian judiciary official addressing international concern that she had been stoned to death.
Last July, Ashtiani’s case appalled the international community. Over four years ago, Ashtiani was convicted of adultery and in July 2010, she was additionally charged with the murder of her husband. She was sentenced to death by stoning.
Around the world, this verdict was received with outrage. Human rights organizations protested heavily, and the International Committee against Stoning led a vehement global dissent and increased media awareness. The United States, United Kingdom and Canada, amongst other countries, also condemned the execution.
Public stoning has been used historically as a capital punishment because it diffuses the responsibility for the death amongst the community members who throw the stones. Thereby, each person throwing a stone is protected, and no one person can be identified as killing the suspect.
Stoning had not been a common practice in the modern history of Iran until 1983 when the penal code was revised to accept this form of capital punishment. Still, stoning was more rare than it is today. The election of current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad saw a revival of the practice, emphasizing that Iranian history cannot be seen as eschatological. It is not linear, but rather oscillates between a conservative, theocratic regime and a more open, democratic rule.
While the inhumane and barbaric nature of this form of punishment has long been condemned by global human rights organizations, Ashtiani’s case received particular attention this past summer.
Finally, in September of 2010, in response to the international outcry, an Iranian government official announced that she would be hanged, not stoned, for the murder of her husband.
Despite this September announcement, there were still allegations that Ashiani would be stoned this past Wednesday. Thankfully, she was not.
Nonetheless, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman denounced the international pressure saying, “They have become so shameless that they have turned the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who has committed crime and treason ,into a human rights case against our nation.”
It seems at least a little ironic that it is the human rights organizations and other nations that are being given the epithet “shameless,” when the Iranian government was on the brink of stoning a woman to death. To me, this is unimaginable; that this form of punishment continues to exist, sanctioned by a recognized state is beyond words.
Is it possible that despite the exponential increase in communication, the interconnectedness of a globalized world, and the person-centeredness of liberal regimes, there is no advancement, and we continue to make use of such archaic forms of punishment?
Not quite. There is a silver lining.
Iran is a country infamous for its dissidence and façade of obliviousness to international pressure. Yet, this time, they listened. And, they responded.
Ashtiani is alive today because initiatives like Amnesty International’s Urgent Action Campaign popularized her plight. This opinion is in a university newspaper in the United States of America, addressing a problem occurring on the other side of the world because of the recognition that this case is being given internationally.
And best of all, this opinion will not end with the tragic death of Ashtiani. Rather, the isolationist paradigm whereby Iran ignored modern liberal values and returned to extreme conservative ideals cannot be sustained. Today, this is no longer tenable.
Though Amnesty International (AI) was evicted from Iran in 1979 during the revolution, this week AI’s voice was again heard in the country, despite the sustained lack of physical presence in the country. Individuals around the world wrote letters and appealed to their governments, and it made a difference. This is not to say that Iran is now succumbing to all the standards of international human rights organizations, but no longer is Iran giving the global community the cold shoulder. Despite not being pleased, Iran has to, at least, respond.
The primitiveness of stoning can be contrasted with the newfound efficacy of international human rights pressure.
Today, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is alive. And you were able to make a difference.
Adriana Martinez is a political science, public policy, French and history major. Adriana can be reached for comments or questions at [email protected].
