THE GUARDIAN: Mother interrogated in prison over photograph and children advised to stay silent or face arrest
Iran has put fresh pressure on the woman it last month sentenced to death by stoning, demanding the names of those involved in the campaign for her release.
The case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has drawn international attention after her children launched a campaign for her release. After a global outcry last month, Iran's judiciary said Sakineh would not be put to death by stoning, but still faced execution by hanging.
The 43-year-old mother of two has been interrogated inside Tabriz prison over the names of the people who have been in touch with her family and the way her photo has been distributed among the media, the Guardian has learned.
Sakineh's photo, which has been distributed all over the world, has become a defining image for human rights activists campaigning against stoning in Iran.
"Sakineh has been under big pressure since the world has paid attention to her case", a source close to her family told the Guardian. "Recently she was questioned and asked to advise her children to remain silent, otherwise they will be arrested too. International attention is the only hope for Sakineh's release", the source added.
Sakineh's lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaei, has received a letter from the Iranian intelligence service summoning him to a meeting in Evin prison in the next three days to "clarify certain issues".
Mostafaei is an acclaimed lawyer who volunteered to represent Sakineh when he heard her story.
Sakineh received 99 lashes, but was subsequently accused of adultery during the trial of a man accused of murdering her husband. Iran's judiciary has said Sakineh faces execution by hanging "because she is convicted of murder". >>> Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Thursday, July 22, 2010
Sign the petition to free Sakineh here
