Malak Ghorbany
Encyclopedia
Shamemeh Malak Ghorbany is an Iran
ian woman, from the suburbs of the town of Naqdeh (province of Kurdistan) who was sentenced to death by stoning
for allegedly having committed adultery
. She is the mother of two children, a girl named Someyeh and a son, Ahmad.
Malak's brothers and husband had murdered a man they found in her house, accused her of having an affair with him, and she too was nearly killed when they stabbed her. The men were convicted of deserved or ‘legitimate’ murder and received a sentence of six years’ imprisonment. In a letter to the court submitted by her lawyer during her first trial, Ghorbany is quoted as saying, “Since I am a rural, illiterate woman and I didn’t know the law, I thought that if I confessed to a relationship with the dead man, I could clear my brothers and husband of intentional murder. I said these untrue words in court and then understood I had done myself an injury.”
On June 28, 2006, a court in the northwestern Iranian city of Urmia
sentenced Malak Ghorbany to death by stoning
for committing adultery. Under Iran's Penal Code, adultery committed by a married person carries the death penalty.
Ghorbany's case gained international attention when noted international human rights lawyer and activist. Lily Mazahery
, launched a global campaign in support of her. In July 2006, various European and Asian rights organizations participated in coordinated demonstrations held outside Iran's embassies and consulate offices in different cities. In a number of public statements, the protesting organizations condemned stoning executions as a crime against humanity, demanded immediate and unconditional clemency for Malak Ghorbany, and called upon the Iranian regime to permanently ban stoning sentences.
According to an Amnesty International
report: "In November 2006, [Iran's] Supreme Court ruled that the trial verdict was based on insufficient or incomplete evidence, and overturned the sentence of execution by stoning. The case was returned to a lower court for a retrial. In late July or August 2008, the court ruled that Shamemeh Ghorbani should not be stoned to death, but instead she received a sentence of 100 lashes. She was released from prison in Oroumiye, western Iran, where she had been held since 2005, but her sentence may still be implemented."
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian woman, from the suburbs of the town of Naqdeh (province of Kurdistan) who was sentenced to death by stoning
Stoning
Stoning, or lapidation, is a form of capital punishment whereby a group throws stones at a person until the person dies. No individual among the group can be identified as the one who kills the subject, yet everyone involved plainly bears some degree of moral culpability. This is in contrast to the...
for allegedly having committed adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
. She is the mother of two children, a girl named Someyeh and a son, Ahmad.
Malak's brothers and husband had murdered a man they found in her house, accused her of having an affair with him, and she too was nearly killed when they stabbed her. The men were convicted of deserved or ‘legitimate’ murder and received a sentence of six years’ imprisonment. In a letter to the court submitted by her lawyer during her first trial, Ghorbany is quoted as saying, “Since I am a rural, illiterate woman and I didn’t know the law, I thought that if I confessed to a relationship with the dead man, I could clear my brothers and husband of intentional murder. I said these untrue words in court and then understood I had done myself an injury.”
On June 28, 2006, a court in the northwestern Iranian city of Urmia
Urmia
- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...
sentenced Malak Ghorbany to death by stoning
Stoning
Stoning, or lapidation, is a form of capital punishment whereby a group throws stones at a person until the person dies. No individual among the group can be identified as the one who kills the subject, yet everyone involved plainly bears some degree of moral culpability. This is in contrast to the...
for committing adultery. Under Iran's Penal Code, adultery committed by a married person carries the death penalty.
Ghorbany's case gained international attention when noted international human rights lawyer and activist. Lily Mazahery
Lily Mazahery
Lily Mazahery is an Iranian-American lawyer, human rights activist, and an expert source on Iran. She is principal of and the founder and president of , an international non-governmental organization .-Overview:...
, launched a global campaign in support of her. In July 2006, various European and Asian rights organizations participated in coordinated demonstrations held outside Iran's embassies and consulate offices in different cities. In a number of public statements, the protesting organizations condemned stoning executions as a crime against humanity, demanded immediate and unconditional clemency for Malak Ghorbany, and called upon the Iranian regime to permanently ban stoning sentences.
According to an Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
report: "In November 2006, [Iran's] Supreme Court ruled that the trial verdict was based on insufficient or incomplete evidence, and overturned the sentence of execution by stoning. The case was returned to a lower court for a retrial. In late July or August 2008, the court ruled that Shamemeh Ghorbani should not be stoned to death, but instead she received a sentence of 100 lashes. She was released from prison in Oroumiye, western Iran, where she had been held since 2005, but her sentence may still be implemented."
External links
- The stoning of Malak Ghorbany Turkish Daily News, Sunday, July 16, 2006
- Islamic Justice - Woman Adulterer To be Stoned To Death, Murderers Get Jail Kurdish Aspect June 29, 2006
- Group Urges Bush to Rebuke Iran's Stoning of Women CNS News August 23, 2006