Iranian state TV broadcast a statement last night by the woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, in which she described herself as a “sinner”.
Appearing on TV for the third time since her case caught the world’s attention, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, 43, also accused Mina Ahadi, an activist of the German-based International Committee Against Stoning (Icas), of spreading her story around the world.
The report also broadcast purported statements by two men whose faces were blurred. State TV identified them as Ashtiani’s son, Sajjad Qaderzadeh, 22, and her lawyer, Houtan Kian, both of whom were arrested last month.
Ahadi has highlighted Mohammadi Ashtiani’s case through the committee and has been successful in bringing it to the world’s attention. The broadcast, on Iran’s Channel 2, portrayed Ahadi as “a communist dissident exiled in Germany”, who had taken advantage of Mohammadi Ashtiani’s case for her own benefit.
