Best example of complete media invention - Stoning in Iran for adultery

[murdoch]

The newspapers are full of articles about Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani who they say will be stoned to death for adultery.

This is true. But how many of them forget to mention that she is also charged with murdering her husband? Virtually none of them.

I can't believe how widespread this phony story is. You'd think Iran is stoning this woman just because she had an affair. The western corporate press has almost unanimously been able to keep the story going without mention of her murder charge.

I tried to mention that she was charged with murdering her husband on Wikipedia, but some fellow (whose home page has a picture of China as he'd want it carved up - part going to Tibet, part to Mongolia etc.) has been successful in keeping it out, and anyone from reading the page to know the truth. He says corporate Western newspapers and media outlets are not mentioning anything other than this propaganda story. And he's right!

I've seen a lot of bogus news stories in the past, but can't recall one more bogus than this one in a long while. Even if they're exposed as bogus, and there seems to be near-unanimity in preventing the truth from being known, they do the job anyway within the imperial countries of making the way easier for imperial policies. Of course, the US and UK overthrowing the secular, nationalist Iranian government in the 1950s is what created this non-secular, nationalist Iranian government of the present.

[blondeatlast]

1. This is DU--please link to information on the murder charge.

And regardless of the crime, stoning is a horrific death, humiliating, slow, and incredibly painful.

[Curmudgeoness]

2. This is news to me too. Although I wonder if it would matter.

Stoning is a really barbaric form of capital punishment.

[LostinVA]

3. A link? I have read extensively about this and have never heard of this

And, I have read non-US media sources.

[blondeatlast]

6. I smell Iran covering it's ass; here's a story from the LA Times; note the wording in this

excerpt:

That's fresh news. Up until Sharifi's comments, Iranian officials and her lawyer said she was only convicted of adultery. Her lawyer, Mohammad Mostafai, said his client had been convicted of having a hand in her husband's death but that the charge played no role in the death sentence against her, especially since her children did not want to pursue the murder charge against their mother. She was handed a 10-year sentence for the murder, her lawyer said.

"In the first place, the allegation was murder," the lawyer told Babylon & Beyond. "She was accused of killing her husband, but as her children forgave her ... she was pardoned and there was no more allegation against her. But to complicate the case, the court raised the issue of adultery."

Sharifi declined to outline Ashtiani's role in her husband's death, saying it would be just too darn shocking for the public.

"We can't express the details of her crimes due to moral and humane considerations," he said. "If the way her husband has been murdered is expressed, the brutality and insanity of this woman would be laid bare to public opinion. Her contribution to the murder of her husband was so harsh and heart-breaking that many criminologists believe that it would have been better for her to have decapitated her husband."

If Barack Obama had said that--or Arnold Schwarzenegger, or just about any other American politico, would you be satisfied? I sure as hell wouldn't.

[LostinVA]

9. VERY interesting

CYA.

[underpants]

4. Acorn. Climategate. Swift boaters WMD.. heads on poles in the Mexican desert. etc.

lots of fake stories these days

[LostinVA]

5. LOVE your username, btw

:thumbsup:

[blondeatlast]

7. ...

:thumbsup: backatcha ;)

[left coaster]

8. I had not heard about any murder, but did find this...

"Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was convicted in May 2006 of conducting an "illicit relationship outside marriage." Sakineh already endured a sentence of 99 lashes, but her case was re-opened when a court in Tabriz suspected her of murdering her husband. She was acquitted, but the adultery charge was reviewed and a death penalty handed down on the basis of "judge's knowledge" – a loophole that allows for subjective judicial rulings where no conclusive evidence is present"

http://www.iranian.com/main/2010/jul/sakineh-mohammadi-ashtiani



Even on this basis, I have to call BS on your subject line. This is NOT media invention, this is twisted religious dogma masquerading as justice.

[LostinVA]

10. With ZERO evidence

Just a Judge's "gut instinct."

Bah.

[Turborama]

11. "her case was re-opened when a court in Tabriz suspected her of murdering her husband."

Campaign for Iranian woman facing death by stoning

Iranian family say adultery conviction was bogus and that woman has already been subjected to 99 lashes

Saeed Kamali Dehghan
guardian.co.uk, Friday 2 July 2010 19.32 BST

A 43-year-old Iranian woman is facing death by stoning unless an international campaign launched by her children forces the authorities to quash what her lawyer calls a bogus conviction.

In a case that highlights the growing use of the death penalty in a country that has already executed more than 100 people this year, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was convicted in May 2006 of conducting an "illicit relationship outside marriage."

Sakineh already endured a sentence of 99 lashes, but her case was re-opened when a court in Tabriz suspected her of murdering her husband. She was acquitted, but the adultery charge was reviewed and a death penalty handed down on the basis of "judge's knowledge" – a loophole that allows for subjective judicial rulings where no conclusive evidence is present.

Speaking to the Guardian, her son Sajad, 22, and daughter Farideh, 17, say their mother has been unjustly accused and already punished for something she did not do. "She's innocent, she's been there for five years for doing nothing", Sajad said. He described the imminent execution as barbaric. "Imagining her, bound inside a deep hole in the ground, stoned to death, has been a nightmare for me and my sister for all these years."

Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/02/iranian-woman-stoning-death-penalty/print

What about the other 12 women and 3 men who are sentenced to stoning? http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4458256

[Mika]

12. Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-zoPgv_nYg

---

[Meldread]

13. Yes, because we know Iran is a bastion of human rights.

I mean it's not like they don't hang or torture gay people. Oh. Wait.





Not like it's hard to believe that they'd stone a woman for adultery, considering what they already do.

[Prometheus Bound]

20. Those two were hanged for gang-raping a young boy, not for being gay.

[Meldread]

22. Bullshit.

They were officially charged with engaging in consensual sex with each other. Then just like the above example, where this woman is then accused of murdering her husband, after protests from around the world happened they were falsely accused of gang rape.

Of course, this is just a single case out of thousands who are arrested, detained, tortured, raped, and then either forced to flee the country out of fear for their lives or are executed.

[Prometheus Bound]

23. Iranian teens were hanged for rape, not gay sex, reports Human Rights Watch

http://www.xtra.ca/public/viewstory.aspx?SESSIONID=9415bcae-1578-448f-9ec5-a5fa9b09d855&AFF_TYPE=1&STORY_ID=790&PUB_TEMPLATE_ID=2

Keep beating those war drums!

[Meldread]

27. You should educate yourself.

Where did I mention anything about war drums, hm? Certainly, Iran is filled with many barbarians, but that hardly justifies mass slaughter - even though they're actively committing genocide against gays and lesbians. But I guess some people will believe anything they're told, so long as it fits their world view - even if it comes from a radical right wing regime.

First, as a party to the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Iran executed two individuals for an offence (regardless of what one believes) that they allegedly committed when under the age of 18 - which means that they violated international law.

Second, the story about the alleged gang rape is false. It originated with Quds - a daily newspaper in the city of Mashad which is controlled by regime supporters. It carried statements attributed to be from the father of the 13-year-old who was supposedly raped, and several other "passersby who just happened to interrupt the "gang rape" in progress. Very convenient, of course, that all this information surfaced after the heat was applied to them by Western Europeans. At the time, they were in delicate negotiations with Western European powers over their developing nuclear capacity - not exactly a moment in which they wanted to deal with their violation of their international commitments under two treaties.

Third, after Quds - a newspaper controlled by the Iranian Regime - made their report, it was picked up by the Times of London (owned by Murdock). They published the story as if it were fact. Then the New York Times picked it up. This was followed by Scott Long - then director of the Human Rights campaign - took down their letter to Condoleeza Rice demanding the US protest the executions from their website. This was because they believed what was being reported, and didn't want to be seen as supporting child rapists. A common stereotype attributed to gay men - that they're pedophiles that prey upon children. Ergo, they backed off the story like it was a hot potato. This was followed by the gay press quickly backing away as well - causing the issue to be dropped.

Fourth, regardless of whether or not you believe the details of this case Iranian law is clear. According to the website Age of Consent, which monitors such laws around the world, in Iran "Homosexuality is illegal, those charged with love-making are given a choice of four deathstyles: being hanged, stoned, halved by a sword, or dropped from the highest perch. According to Article 152, if two men not related by blood are discovered naked under one cover without good reason, both will be punished at a judge's discretion. Gay teens (Article 144) are also punished at a judge's discretion. Rubbing one's penis between the thighs without penetration (tafheed) shall be punished by 100 lashes for each offender. This act, known to the English-speaking world as 'frottage,' is punishable by death if the 'offender' is a non-Muslim. If frottage is thrice repeated and penalty-lashes have failed to stop such repetitions, upon the fourth 'offense' both men will be put to death. According to Article 156, a person who repents and confesses his gay behavior prior to his identification by four witnesses, may be pardoned. Even kissing 'with lust' (Article 155) is forbidden. This bizarre law works to eliminate old Persian male-bonding customs, including common kissing and holding hands in public."

In closing, enjoy defending Iran and its barbaric regime. Those of those who can engage in complex thoughts that do not force the world into a with-us-or-against-us world view, will continue to condemn the actions of Iran while understanding that condemnation does not equal supporting a war.

[Prometheus Bound]

31. Whom should I believe? You or Human Rights Watch?

Let me think. Let me think.

[Meldread]

33. You're free to believe whatever you'd like to believe - and be as wrong as you'd like.

That's one of the benefits of living in a modern Western country. Go to Iran and try it out there, I'm sure you'll be welcomed. If nothing else, I'm sure you'll make a fantastic propaganda tool.

I mean, after all, if you're going to defend the barbaric practices of the Iranian Regime you might as well get some benefit from it.

Also, awesome that you ignored the bulk of my post. I guess the fourth point was just too much to address, because - GASP - that might actually mean that Iran isn't filled with rainbows and sunshine.

Fourth, regardless of whether or not you believe the details of this case Iranian law is clear. According to the website Age of Consent, which monitors such laws around the world, in Iran "Homosexuality is illegal, those charged with love-making are given a choice of four deathstyles: being hanged, stoned, halved by a sword, or dropped from the highest perch. According to Article 152, if two men not related by blood are discovered naked under one cover without good reason, both will be punished at a judge's discretion. Gay teens (Article 144) are also punished at a judge's discretion. Rubbing one's penis between the thighs without penetration (tafheed) shall be punished by 100 lashes for each offender. This act, known to the English-speaking world as 'frottage,' is punishable by death if the 'offender' is a non-Muslim. If frottage is thrice repeated and penalty-lashes have failed to stop such repetitions, upon the fourth 'offense' both men will be put to death. According to Article 156, a person who repents and confesses his gay behavior prior to his identification by four witnesses, may be pardoned. Even kissing 'with lust' (Article 155) is forbidden. This bizarre law works to eliminate old Persian male-bonding customs, including common kissing and holding hands in public."

Defend that. Are you a supporter of: hanging, stoning, being halved by a sword, or dropped from the highest perch? If so, why, and how do you consider yourself aligned with the left?

[Prometheus Bound]

37. I defended nothing. I only pointed out your error...

or propaganda, depending on your motive in posting it.

[Ruby the Liberal]

14. Oddly, the "murder conviction" didn't hit the news until the outrage over the impending lapidation

(stoning).

Drilling down, that wasn't a part of the sentence.

Convenient Iranian Government BS, IMO.

Get educated about what happens over there - and many, many other middle and far-eastern countries to women convicted about adultery. This isn't an Islamic issue, but a cultural one.

K&U

[Turborama]

15. Actually, there wasn't a murder conviction, she was acquitted.

See here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=8766387&mesg_id=8766633

I agree with the rest of your post, though.

[Ruby the Liberal]

18. Ya, I know - thats why I put it in quotes.

It is Government BS of the highest order. Once a stoning is sentenced, it becomes an honor issue that they won't back off from. Notable cases include Soraya Manutchehri (whose 40 YO husband wanted to marry a 14 YO girl from a neighboring village), Catherine Mulligan (whose Iranian FIL didn't like the fact that his son married an American convert to Islam) and Aisha Duhulow (13 YO who reported being gang raped in Somalia - this was her punishment).

Manutchehri's 'conviction' was nullified when the first 3 stones didn't hit her, but the town elders allowed it to continue.

Mulligan's sentence was overturned by the courts once the lie was proven, but after the warden was notified, he ignored the overturn and ordered the sentence to be carried out.

If someone is able to get out of the hole they are buried in, they are freed. Waist deep for men, breast deep for women. To get around this, they bind their legs and arms.

This is more common in rural areas, but DOES still happen on the 'witness' of 2 men (or 1 man and 2 women as women = 1/2 a man).

This human rights issue is VERY near and dear to my heart.

Update for typos...

[blondeatlast]

17. Exactly. And, from my excerpt above, how utterly CONVEEEENIENT that the

"evidence" against her is so "horrifying" they dare not present it to the public.

As if stoning doesn't qualify as the same.

Iran--and the OP--are spewing utter and complete bullshit.

[Ruby the Liberal]

19. Have to agree. Anyone who defends this in the face of evidence to the contrary

(or even willing to consider evidence to the contrary) is willfully ignorant.

[The Magistrate]

16. Actually, Sir, It is Your Head-Line That Is A Complete Invention....

People outside the United States are perfectly capable of being evil, you know....

[WinkyDink]

21. STONING IS BARBARIC. And Iran DOES stone women for adultery.

[Nye Bevan]

24. Oh please. The Chavez defenders are bad enough.

I never thought we'd see defenders of Iran stoning people to death crawling out of the woodwork here on DU.

[The Magistrate]

25. You Must Not Have Been Paying Attention, Sir

This sort of thing is actually fairly common. The line is that anything which tends to stir anger against the place is preparing the ground for military action against it.

[Cleita]

28. Bingo!

:thumbsup:

The fact is that we really don't know the straight story. Neither their media, nor ours is reliable.

[Meldread]

30. Agreed.

It's utterly ridiculous to the point I have to wonder if there is some psychological disorder involved. I can't imagine anyone but the criminally insane trying to justify Iran's actions. As if stoning is somehow acceptable if she actually -DID- murder her husband.

I'm willing to bet the same people who attempt to justify Iran's actions also claim they're opposed to the death penalty, without a hint of irony or understanding their own hypocrisy!

It seems to be indicative of a world view that says: The United States is bad and evil in all things, and anyone who opposes the United States thus must be innately good and just in all things. :crazy:

It's a world view that does not allow for shades of gray, and it's no different than the exact mirror image of the Neo-Christian Conservative world view: The United States is god's chosen nation, and therefore is incapable of doing any wrong. All governments and peoples who oppose the United States, or who do not work in the best interest of the United States are therefore opposed to god and therefore wrong and evil.

Meanwhile, those of us who are still sane are capable of nuanced thinking.

[SunnySong]

32. Wait till you see the Mugabe isn't all that bad crowd... nt

[Turborama]

26. So, 4hrs and 25 responses later...

No wonder you've left this thread to hang (no pun intended).

[SunnySong]

29. The Iranian government is evil... simply as that their leadership is in many ways barbaric.

That doesn't mean we have to bomb them just we don't vacation there or buy their goods.

[Pavulon]

35. No but posting sources is required. Even school children in Iran do this..op not so much(nt)

[davekriss]

34. Ummmmm

I absorbed Manufacturing Consent and Necessary Illusions as deeply as the next person, however I don't care if she gunned down a dozen school children with an AK-47, stoning is barbaric, cruel, and unnecessary -- and those that practice it are diminishing their humanity. They are a lessor people because of it. No moral relativism applies. Period.

[aikoaiko]

36. But she wan't convicted of murdering her husband, but her lovers were.

She confessed to the adultery and was eventually sentenced to being stoned to death for the adultery.

:shrug:

What's the invention?

[blondeatlast]

38. Kicking for SOME response from the OP.

Flamebait? FAIL.