An appeal by Carla Bruni-Sarkozy on behalf of an Iranian woman facing death by stoning for alleged adultery was counterproductive, according to Catherine Deneuve.
The spat between one of France‘s most famous actresses and its first lady came as the Vatican announced it was interceding with Tehran for the life of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two.
Miss Deneuve, 66, star of Belle de Jour, a film about a housewife secretly working as a prostitute, said the first lady’s intervention allowed Iranian hardliners to seize on her past to taint the world campaign for Mrs Ashtiani’s release
