Ashtiani “meets with her family members regularly in accordance with regulations and, in recent days, she was given leave to attend her mother’s funeral,” said Malek Ajdar-Sharifi, head of East Azarbaijan province’s justice department.
Ajdar-Sharifi said Ashtiani “is in prison in perfect health … and like all inmates enjoys her full rights as a prisoner.”
A court in Tabriz sentenced Ashtiani to death by hanging in 2006 for her involvement in the murder of her husband. A separate court also sentenced her to die by stoning for adultery with several men, most notably with the man convicted of murdering her husband. This was in addition to an earlier sentence of 99 lashes on charges of adultery.
In 2007, an appeals court commuted her death sentence in connection with the murder to 10 years in jail. Her stoning sentence was upheld, however, sparking international outrage and condemnation.
Media coverage of her case around the world has subsidied because there have been few developments But the website, freesakineh.org, continues to attract signatures calling for her release. In the 35 weeks since last November, the petition has drawn an average of 300 signatures a week, not as impressive as the thousands that signed on weekly last summer, but still significant considering the lack of news coverage.
