http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/lawyer-for-client-facing-stoning-cries-out-for-help/story-e6frg6so-1225902278165
Lawyer for client facing stoning cries out for help From: The Times August 07, 2010 12:00AM THE lawyer forced to flee Iran for defending a woman sentenced to death by stoning has appealed for international pressure to save his client. Speaking from the Turkish detention centre where he is being held while his asylum application is considered, Mohammad Mostafaei told The Times he feared Turkey could still extradite him to the Islamic republic to preserve its close relations with the regime in Tehran. He broke down when asked about his decision to leave behind his wife and seven-year-old daughter, saying the subject was too painful for him to talk about. He was adamant he would remain in exile until the rule of law was restored in Iran. He insisted, however, that he had no regrets about his decision to broadcast the plight of his client, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, to the world even though it had destroyed his former existence. Mr Mostafaei's defence of Ms Ashtiani, who had already endured 99 lashes and five years' imprisonment for alleged adultery, infuriated the regime. Two weeks ago he went into hiding after a warrant was issued for his arrest, so the authorities took his wife hostage. He fled overland to Turkey, was arrested for entering that country illegally and is now being held in the Kumkapi detention centre in Istanbul while his asylum application is processed. He said he was locked in a small cell with 25 other illegal immigrants from different countries. Mr Mostafaei had no idea why he was not allowed to leave Turkey when he had a visa for countries of the EU's Schengen area and Norway had offered him residency. He said he was afraid Ankara might breach international conventions and extradite him to Iran to preserve its friendship with Tehran. "Until I have left Turkey anything can happen," he said. His preoccupation, however, is the fate of his wife, Fereshteh Halimi, who is being held in solitary confinement in Tehran's Evin prison. Mr Mostafaei said she was in a section run by the Intelligence Ministry, which ignored restrictions on torture, interrogation and prisoner abuse. He knew because he had visited it, he said: "It's worse than Guantanamo." His wife has a serious stomach illness and has been allowed to make just one brief call to her daughter. He said it was "absolutely vital" that he did not turn himself in to secure his wife's freedom. "They took my wife hostage to get hold of me. If I'd surrendered in that situation they would think they could do that to anyone." Ms Ashtiani's children, Sajad and Farideh, visited her in prison on Thursday, local time, and she told them she wanted to accept the asylum offer made last weekend by President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva of Brazil. Iranian officials have dismissed the offer. As for Ms Ashtiani's fate, Mr Mostafaei said international pressure on the regime was keeping her alive, and he did not believe Iran could execute her while the outcry continued. In Geneva yesterday Mossadegh Kahnemoui, a senior Iranian judicial official, told a UN human rights committee that her case was still under review and insisted, despite documentary evidence to the contrary, that she had been convicted of murdering her husband as well as of adultery. Mr Mostafaei warned, however, that Iran's judiciary had become much more hardline and unpredictable since Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani was appointed to lead it in the turmoil that followed last year's disputed presidential elections. The judiciary was now "completely sick", he said. Mr Mostafaei reckoned he had saved 50 prisoners from execution over the years [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: prole...@egroups.com Subscribe : proletar-subscr...@egroups.com Unsubscribe : proletar-unsubscr...@egroups.com List owner : proletar-ow...@egroups.com Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: proletar-dig...@yahoogroups.com proletar-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: proletar-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
