Two Iranian women have been sentenced to death in the past week, one by stoning. According to a Women’s Forum Against Fundamentalism in Iran (WFAFI) press release in Iran 14 women currently face execution by stoning in Iran, a punishment faced only by those accused of adultery.
According to Agence France Presse, Afsaneh R. and a man called Reza have been charged with adultery and with murder in the death of Afsaneh’s husband. Afsaneh was sentenced to death under Iranian law, but since Reza is married, he was pardoned from execution and instead received 15 years in prison for murder and 100 lashes for adultery, according to the Associated Press.
The second death sentence involves a pregnant woman and her husband who have both been sentenced to execution under charges of drug trafficking. According to WFAFI, the couple has no criminal record, come from underprivileged backgrounds and do not have legal counsel. Though a judge claims that the couple has confessed to drug trafficking, no evidence that supports the charges has been presented.
