12 Oct 2010

Reporters, Son and Lawyer of Condemned Iranian Woman Missing

The son of an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery is reportedly missing after two foreign nationals, believed to be German journalists, were arrested after trying to interview him. The lawyer for the woman, 43-year-old Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, also has not been heard from.
Iran's chief prosecutor, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, called the two people detained "foreign tourists" and said they lacked correct media credentials, according to a statement published today on the semi-official Mehr News website.

Sakineh-Mohammadi-Ashtiani

The son and lawyer of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery pictured here in an undated photo, are reported missing.

But an Iranian human rights activist, based in Germany, who said she arranged the interview told AOL News today that the Iranian government has also arrested the son of Ashtiani and her longtime lawyer. The government has not confirmed the arrests or detention of Ashtiani's son, Sajjad Ghaderzadeh, or her lawyer, Javid Houtan Kian. But sources connected to the case said neither of them returned to their homes Sunday night, nor have they answered their phones.

AOL News