The New Year has brought a fresh batch of hope for a woman sentenced to be stoned to death in Iran.
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who has been in prison since 2006, was convicted of adultery and sentenced to death by stoning.
International outrage followed. The 43-year-old mother was later convicted for having a hand in the murder of her husband.
The death sentenced was suspended last year in response to pressure from leaders in Europe and the United States, but so far Iran has refused to lift it.
That may change, however, as Malek Ajdar Sharifi, the head of justice department of East Azerbaijan province where Ashtiani is jailed, suggests “everything is possible,” according to a report by the Fars news agency.
Sharifi did not elaborate on whether she could still face death by hanging — by far the most common form of capital punishment in Iran, but noted “some ambiguities on evidence” in the killing of her husband.
The report comes after Ashtiani made yet another public appearance, hastily organized by Iranian officials, to once more insist she did kill her husband. She was recently seen in a bizarre video report detailing and re-enacting her allegedly crime in December.
During the press conference, even her son, Sajjad Qaderzadeh, who has been fighting to save his mother for years, admitted he believes his mom killed his father.
“I do not think that my mother is innocent. She is certainly guilty,” he said, before urging foreign officials and activists to stay out of the affair.
“However, the decision has to be made by our country’s officials,” Qaderzadeh said. “They may change the stoning sentence to some other verdict.”
Ashtiani and her son also stated they would pursue legal action against those who have attempted to aide their cause, including a pair of German journalists who have been held by Iranian authorities after interviewing Qaderzadeh late last year.
With News Wire Services
msheridan@nydailynews.com; or follow him at Twitter.com/NYDNSheridan
