Case of Iranian woman on death row not out of investigation phase

Thu, 11 Nov 2010

Tehran - Iran's prosecutor general said Thursday that the case of Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, who faces the death sentence, had not moved out of the investigation phase.

"More time is needed to finalize the Mohammadi-Ashtiani case and reach a final verdict," Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejehi told the official news agency IRNA.

Mohammadi-Ashtiani, 43, was first arrested on charges of adultery, for which, according to Iran's laws, she would have faced stoning.

She was later charged as an accomplice in the murder of her husband. If convicted on that charge, she would face execution by hanging.

"It is quite clear that the murder charges against her will have priority over the adultery charges," the prosecutor said.

Mohammadi-Ashtiani's death sentence has triggered a wave of international protests.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/353040,row-not-investigation-phase.html.