The international campaign that saved an Iranian woman from a death sentence by stoning

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani became the face of a global human rights movement after being sentenced to death by stoning in Iran. Her case sparked diplomatic friction, celebrity intervention, and asylum offers from world leaders. After nine years on death row, her ultimate fate remained a subject of intense international scrutiny.

Born in 1967, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was an Iranian Azeri who lived in Osku. In 2005, she was arrested following the murder of her husband, Ebrahim Qaderzadeh, by his cousin, Isa Taheri. While Taheri was convicted of the murder, Ashtiani faced multiple, often conflicting legal charges. In 2006, she was sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, a verdict that drew global condemnation. Her son, Sajjad Qaderzadeh, and daughter, Farideh, initiated an international campaign in 2010 that brought her plight to mainstream attention through social media and human rights organizations like Amnesty International.

The legal proceedings were marked by confusion and contradiction. While Iranian officials at times claimed she was sentenced for murder, human rights groups maintained she had been acquitted of murder and instead faced charges of complicity and adultery. The case became a diplomatic flashpoint, with Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva offering her asylum. Iranian authorities, however, dismissed the international outcry as propaganda, and the Iranian newspaper Kayhan famously attacked the First Lady of France for her support of Ashtiani. Throughout this period, Ashtiani’s lawyers faced arrest and harassment, and she was subjected to televised confessions that supporters alleged were coerced under torture.

By 2011, authorities indicated an intent to execute her by hanging rather than stoning. Her legal situation remained precarious for years, with her lawyer Javid Houtan Kiyan imprisoned and her own status in limbo. The international pressure, however, persisted, including a European Parliament resolution that passed with a 658–1 vote. In March 2014, after nine years on death row, Ashtiani was finally released from prison, with Iranian officials citing good behavior as the reason for her pardon. Her case remains a significant example of how grassroots activism and international diplomatic pressure can influence the judicial outcomes of individuals facing capital punishment in foreign legal systems.

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