Tehran: The Iranian woman facing death by
stoning has expressed surprise over reports that she was
lashed after a British newspaper published a picture showing
her without a headscarf, a judiciary official who says he met
her told Fars news agency on Wednesday.
Fars reported that Vahid Kazemzadeh, member of the
Iranian judiciary`s Islamic Human Rights Commission, said he
met Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani who told him that she has also
complained against her lawyer Mohammad Mostafaie whom she
never met.
"She was unaware and surprised by reports of
(receiving) lashes after a British newspaper printed a picture
which was not hers and had mistakenly mentioned her name under
it," Kazemzadeh said.
Mohammadi-Ashtiani`s son, Sajjad, told a Paris news
conference by telephone on Monday that he "heard" his
43-year-old mother received 99 lashes in prison after The
Times of London published on August 28 a picture claiming to
be of Mohammadi-Ashtiani and showing her hair unveiled.
By law, women in the Islamic republic must be covered
from head to foot, with their hair completely veiled.
Kazemzadeh said Mohammadi-Ashtiani also claims that
she never met Mostafaie personally, who she had appointed as
her lawyer through another woman.
"Ms Ashtiani claims she has never met Mr Mohammad
Mostafaie, the lawyer who has tarnished her and her family`s
reputation... by conducting interviews and spreading news
without her consent," Kazemzadeh said.
He said that she claimed having paid Mostafaie 20
million rials (USD 2,000) to represent her but he left the
country.
PTI
