Amnesty International Calls Iran's Practice of Stoning a Cruel and Unacceptable Practice
15 Jan 2008 02:01 Africa/Lagos Amnesty International Calls Iran's Practice of Stoning a Cruel and Unacceptable Practice WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As nine women and two men in Iran wait to be stoned to death, Amnesty International today called on the Iranian authorities to abolish execution by stoning and impose an immediate moratorium on this horrific practice, specifically designed to increase the suffering of the victims. In a new report published today, "Iran: Death by stoning, a grotesque and unacceptable penalty," the organization called on the authorities urgently to repeal or amend the country's Penal Code and to ensure total adherence in the meantime to a moratorium on stoning issued by the Head of the Judiciary in 2002. "We welcome the recent advances toward reforms by Iranian authorities and upcoming discussions on an amended Penal Code that would suspend at least some stoning sentences," said Larry Cox, Amnesty Internat...