Thaindian News

By Gina Gomez
Sep 6, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The Vatican has intervened in the case of the stoning of an Iranian woman over charges of adultery. The case has already managed to gain widespread attention in many countries with many human rights activist expressing their outrage at the verdict given by an Iranian court. On Sunday, the Vatican revealed through a statement that it was in touch with the Iranian government over the stoning of the woman due to charges of adultery.

Federico Lombardi, a spokesperson of the Vatican released a statement on Sunday in which it has been emphasized that the matter was being followed by the Holy See with ‘attention and commitment.’ Moreover, the spokesperson also divulged that the Vatican was using its ‘diplomacy channels’ to take up the issue with the government in Iran while also pointing out that the stand of the church with regard to death penalty is well known and taking anyone’s life by stoning is a ‘particularly brutal form of it.’ The revelation by Vatican that was closely monitoring the matter comes on the heels of an appeal made by the Iranian woman’s son Sajad Ghaderzadeh to Pope Benedict XVI as well as the Italian government to intervene in the case and save his mother from the death penalty.

The 43-year-old woman Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtian was convicted of having an extramarital affair and was given the death penalty. The matter has come into the limelight once again after the woman’s son Sajad Ghaderzadeh stated over the weekend that an Iranian judge has given the sentence of lashing the woman 99 times for “spreading corruption and indecency” after a British newspaper published Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtian’s picture where she was not wearing a headscarf.