Iranian 'death by stoning' woman's son claims she was subjected to mock execution

London, Sept 1 (ANI): The son of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning, has claimed that the Iranian authorities had prepared her for a mock execution, and alleged that his mother is being subjected to psychological pressure inside the prison because of the international support she has gathered so far.

He claimed that she was told that she was to be hanged at dawn on Sunday, but the sentence was not carried out. He came to know about it when he spoke to his mother on the telephone yesterday.

"They are furious with the international outcry over my mother's case so they are taking revenge on her. The more the pressure comes from outside Iran, the more they mistreat her," The Guardian quoted Sajad, as saying.

He believes the only reason that Iran has not carried out the execution till date is because of the international campaign for her release.

"I beg everybody in the world to continue their support for my mother. That is the only way she might be spared from the death sentence," he added.

Iran's judiciary office has told Sajad that his father's murder case file is lost. He now fears that the authorities are plotting charges against her to prove her guilty.

Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of two, was flogged 99 times for having an "illicit relationship outside marriage" in 2006 but another court reviewed her case after her husband was murdered.

She was acquitted of murder but found guilty of adultery and sentenced to death by stoning. (ANI)