Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and members of the Liberal Women’s Caucus are backing the call for the immediate release of Iranian woman Sakineh Ashtiani and for Iran to abide by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in order to ensure women receive just treatment before the courts and that the inhuman practice of stoning ends once and for all.
“The world must come together to demand the immediate release of Ms. Ashtiani and to let it be known that Iran can not continue to violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, of which they are a signatory,” said Mr. Ignatieff.
“We are calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to rally our UN partners in condemning Iran’s actions around Ms. Ashtiani. They must reverse this unjust and inhumane ruling. And even though they have backed away from stoning her to death, we must continue to call for this medieval practice to cease once and for all.”
According to Amnesty International, Ms. Ashtiani was originally convicted in May 2006 of having had an “illicit relationship” and received 99 lashes as her sentence. However, Ms. Ashtiani was subsequently convicted of “adultery while being married,” and she was sentenced to death by stoning under a provision in Iranian law that allows judges to hand down sentences on the basis of so-called “judicial knowledge.” This morning, her lawyer said that Iran has reversed its decision to stone her to death, but she could still be sentenced to death by another means.
Members of the Liberal Women’s Caucus have signed an online petition calling for her immediate release and calling on the Iranian government to ban the practice of stoning, which “violates any and all definitions of human rights,” states the petition at http://freesakineh.org.
“Not only is death by stoning a violation of basic human rights, it is clear that Ms. Ashtiani was sentenced to death in a blatantly unfair trial,” said Liberal Status of Women Critic Anita Neville. “The Harper government must do more than simply ‘strongly urge’ the Iranian government to halt this situation. They must take more concrete action by urgently bringing together our UN partners to push for her release.”
Liberal Women’s Caucus Chair Maria Minna said this is a prime example of how Canada can lead the way on fighting for better human rights around the world.
“What is happening to Ms. Ashtiani is just another example of the debasing, inhuman treatment of women that has become the daily reality in Iran,” she said. “Canada can be a powerful voice on the international stage in forcing Iran to respect the basic tenets of human rights for all its citizens. And this sends a powerful message to the rest of the world.”
