Execution by stoning

In Iran, stoning a person to death is not against the law: using the wrong stone is.

"The size of the stone used in stoning shall not be too large to kill the convict by one or two throws and at the same time shall not be too small to be called a stone."

Article 104, Iranian Penal Code

UNDER IRANIAN LAW, STONING IS MANDATORY FOR MEN AND WOMEN CONVICTED OF 'ADULTERY WHILST MARRIED'.

Stoning is purposefully designed to cause maximum suffering, and is a brutal and inhumane punishment.

Bound, wrapped in shrouds and buried in a pit with head and shoulders above ground, victims are likely to survive for between 20 minutes and two hours from when the first stone thrown draws blood.


The Iranian Penal Code describes in chillingly clinical detail exactly how a person should be stoned to death:

• How to stone someone to death - Iranian Penal Code (PDF)

Who are the victims of stoning?

Stoning is mandatory for both men and women convicted of 'adultery whilst married' under Iranian law.
Those sentenced to death are frequently poor or otherwise marginalised from society. Most of those sentenced to death are women for the simple reason that they are disadvantaged in the criminal justice system, and face wide-ranging discrimination in law, particularly in regard to marriage and divorce. However, in recent years more men are known to have been stoned to death than women.

How common is stoning in Iran?

Amnesty International knows of at least six people who have been stoned to death since 2002.
A further 14 individuals - four men and ten women - are at risk of death by stoning in Iran right now, although several cases are still under review and alternative sentences may be imposed. One of these is Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, whose case has generated a great deal of international attention and who remains at risk.
The most common method of execution in Iran is hanging, and hundreds of men, women and children are put to death by this method every year. Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, we have documented at least 77 stonings, although the true figure could be higher, as we were not able to record figures for the years between 1979 and 1984.

Is it legal?

In 2002, a moratorium was declared on stoning in Iran. In 2009, the Legal and Judicial affairs Committee recommended that stoning be removed from the Iranian Penal Code. And yet still this practice continues.

The Iranian authorities are currently reviewing the country's Penal Code - including whether execution by stoning should be retained. We are campaigning for stoning to be removed from the Code.

Iran is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The government is therefore legally bound to observe the provisions of this treaty and to ensure that they are fully reflected in the country's laws and practices. Death by stoning violates Articles 6 (right to life) and 7 (prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment) of the Covenant.

STONING WORLDWIDE Stoning is included in the laws of six countries: Iran Saudi Arabia Sudan Pakistan Yemen The United Arab Emirates — as well as in some states in Nigeria, and in the Aceh province of Indonesia.In addition, while stoning may not be on the law books in Afghanistan and Somalia, and is not sanctioned by the state, both countries have seen incidents of stoning, usually carried out by armed groups or local authorities. A stoning sentence actually being carried out is very rare - in most cases sentences are commuted.

Source: http://amnesty.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=12139