ICAE Press Release #77: Letter to European Parliament from the Children of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani

October 7, 2010
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s children’s letter to the European Parliament

The below letter has been received by the International Committee against Stoning and was handed to the Vice President of the European Parliament by Mina Ahadi and Maryam Namazie at a meeting on 7 October 2010.

Honourable Ms. Angelilli, Vice President of the European Parliament, and other European Union Officials

Given that:

– Our mother’s lawyer and we have been denied visitation since her first coerced ‘confession’ on Iranian state television on 11 August

– The home and office of her lawyer Houtan Kian has been raided and ransacked by security forces and all documents pertaining to our mother’s case confiscated

– The authorities have been busy establishing new trumped up murder charges against our mother and denying the stoning sentence for adultery, which has yet to be officially rescinded, and

– We have been receiving threats because of our interventions on our mother’s behalf

We ask you to urgently come to our aid by:

1. Sending a delegation to Iran to look into our mother’s well-being and case.

2. Intervening to obtain our mother’s immediate release, and

3. Providing us with refuge in Italy.

Given the Islamic Republic of Iran’s misinformation and contradictory statements regarding her case, as well our mother’s torture and mistreatment, we are concerned she will face death by stoning or execution.

Our mother, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, is innocent and must be immediately released.

Sajjad Ghaderzadeh