Tehran: A hardline Iranian newspaper
stepped up its attack on French first lady Carla Bruni, saying
that the "Italian prostitute" deserved to die for
supporting an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning.
"This Italian prostitute's indignation at Kayhan's
report came while she has had illegitimate relationships with
different people before and after marrying (French President
Nicolas) Sarkozy," Kayhan said.
"Reviewing Carla Bruni's records clearly shows why
this immoral woman has supported an Iranian woman who has
committed adultery, has contributed to the murdering of her
husband and has been sentenced to death, and in fact she
herself (Bruni) deserves death," Kayhan said.
Bruni, Sarkozy's third wife, angered Kayhan by signing
a petition along with several other French celebrities for the
release of Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, the 43-year-old mother
of two, whose death by stoning sentence has generated an
international outcry.
Defending Mohammadi-Ashtiani in an open letter, Bruni
vowed that France and her husband would not abandon her.
She criticised the stoning sentence against
Mohammadi-Ashtiani saying: "Spill your blood, deprive your
children of their mother? Why? Because you have lived, because
you have loved, because you are a woman, an Iranian? Every
part of me refuses to accept this."
Human rights officials in the Iranian judiciary say
Mohammadi-Ashtiani was sentenced to death by stoning for
adultery in a case which also got her a 10-year jail term for
participating in her husband's murder.
Iran says it has yet to take a final decision on her
stoning sentence.
Kayhan, whose managing director and chief editor is
appointed by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has
launched a vitriolic attack on Bruni since Saturday.
The newspaper made a blistering assault on the wife of
Sarkozy by branding her a "prostitute" in its Saturday story
headlined "French prostitutes enter the human rights uproar."
On Monday, the website www.inn.ir also branded Bruni a
"husband cheater." "This promiscuous woman of Italian origin,
due to her race and actions, is not popular among the French
people," the website of government-run Iran group of news
outlets said.
The Iranian foreign ministry has criticised the media
attacks on Bruni. "Insulting officials of other countries and
using indecent words is not endorsed by the Islamic Republic
of Iran," ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters
on Tuesday.
"We don't think using indecent and insulting words is
a right move," he said when asked to comment on Iranian media
reports that described Bruni as an "immoral" woman and a
"prostitute."
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, September 01, 2010, 00:24