Press Release

No. 86-3-c

20 June 2007

The stoning of Mokarrameh Ebrahimi and the father of her 11 year old illegitimate child was stayed by the written order of the Head of Judiciary in Tehran addressed to the head of the judiciary branch in Takistan. The stoning had been scheduled for Thursday morning, local time, and the order came less than 24 hours before the scheduled time.

The Stop Stoning Forever Campaign would like to thank all the individuals and organizations who have contacted the Iranian officials and plead for the lives of the couple. Despite the short time for action, many people and human rights organizations raised their opposition to stoning of the couple and shared their concerns with the Iranian judiciary officials. The Stop Stoning Forever Campaign owes this temporary success to the overwhelming support of the many conscience citizens of the world.

It is crucial to understand that the stoning sentence of Mokarrameh Ebrahimi and her partner is still legally in effect and it is only the implementation of the sentence that has been suspended. Another woman, Kobra Najjar, who is also the mother of four children and had been forced to prostitution by her husband, a drug addict, is also facing stoning to death after her appeal to the Judiciary Commission for Amnesty and Clemency was rejected for the third time last week. Furthermore, there are at least seven other men and women who are sentenced to stoning for having committed adultery.

In order to save the lives of Mokarrameh Ebrahimi, her partner, Kobra Najjar, and all the other men and women who have been sentenced to stoning, the loud opposition to stoning shall continue until the Iranian legal system puts an end to stoning.

In May 2006, a man and a woman, Abbas and Mahboubeh, were stoned in Mashhad for having committed adultery, and a woman named Masoumeh was hanged in Evin prison for adultery in October 2006. The Stop Stoning Forever Campaign activists fear that other forms of the death penalty might replace stoning, if the law is not changed.

We are urging you to please continue the efforts to abolish stoning in Iran. Together, we can stop stoning forever all over the world.

To learn more about the Stop Stoning Forever Campaign, please visit the site www.stopstoning.org or contact Soheila Vahdati soheilavahdati gmail.com in the US and Shadi Sadr shadisadr gmail.com in Iran.

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Iran: URGENT: Oppose the scheduled public stoning of Mokarrameh and her partner

20/06/2007: The Stop Stoning Forever Campaign invites all citizens of the world to contact the Iranian officials by phone and/or fax and ask them to stop the public stoning of Mokarrameh Ebrahimin, the 43 year old mother of three children, and her partner, the father of her 11 year old child. Please note that email may not be effective.

Also, please note the time difference since the stoning is scheduled for Thursday, 21 June 2007, in the morning, Tehran time, which is Wednesday evening and midnight in the US and Europe. Please act now before it is too late!

The decision for execution of stoning in public, and moreover, inviting the public to participate in the stoning have been made by the Ghazvin Municipal Security Council or Showraye Tameen of Ghazvin. The news of the scheduled stoning has been published by the campaign activists on June 19, 2007.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

The Stop Stoning Forever Campaign invites all citizens of the world to contact the Iranian officials by phone and/or fax and ask them to stop the public stoning of Mokarrameh Ebrahimin, the 43 year old mother of three children, and her partner, the father of her 11 year old child. Please note that email may not be effective.

Also, please note the time difference since the stoning is scheduled for Thursday, 21 June 2007, in the morning, Tehran time, which is Wednesday evening and midnight in the US and Europe. Please act now before it is too late!

How to contact the officials by telephone and fax:

Ghazvin State Government Office, includes Ghazvin Municipal Security Council.

This office is open from 7:15 am to 2:15 pm Tehran time.

Tel:

+98 281 3682811

+98 281 3682812

+98 281 3682813

+98 281 3682814

+98 281 3682815

+98 281 3682816

Fax:

+98 281 3682941

+98 281 3682895

You can also contact the following offices in Iran:

The Supreme Leader: Ayatollah Khamenei

Tel:

+98 21 64412020

The Head of Judiciary: Ayatollah Shahroudi

Tel:

+98-21 22741002

+98-21 22741003

+98-21 22741004

+98-21 22741005

The President: Mr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Tel:

+98 21 88825071

+98 21 88825072

+98 21 88825073

+98 21 88825074

+98 21 88825075

If you have difficulty contacting the officials inside Iran, please contact the Iranian officials in your country of residence for some of whom the telephone and fax numbers are listed below:

United States: Interests Section of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Washington, D.C.

Tel: (202) 965-4990; (202) 965-4991; (202) 965-4992; (202) 965-4993; (202) 965-4994; (202) 965-4999

Fax: (202) 965-1073; (202) 965-4990

Canada: Embassy of Iran in Ottawa

Tel: (613) 232-5712

United Kingdom: Embassy of Iran in London

Tel: 0207-225-3000

Fax: 0207-589-4440

Switzerland: Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations in Switzerland, Geneva

Tel: (41-22)332 21 00-21

Fax: (41-22)733 02 03

United Arab Emirates: Embassy of Iran in Abu Dhabi

Tel: +9712-4447618

Fax: +9712-4448714

Denmark: Embassy of Iran in Copenhagen

Tel: 3916-0003

Fax: 3916-0075

Norway: Embassy of Iran in Oslo

Tel: (+47) 23 27 29 60

Fax: (+47) 22 55 49 19

Russia: Embassy of Iran in Moscow

Tel: 9178655; 9179679; 9175219; 9177282; 9170039; 9172442; 9178959

Fax: 2302897; 9179683

Finland: Embassy of Iran

Tel: +358-9-6869 240

Fax: +358-9-6869 2410

South Africa: Embassy of Iran

Tel: +27 (012) 342 58 80 / 1

Fax: +27 (012) 342 18 78

Germany: Embassy of Iran in Frankfurt

Tel: +49 (0) 69 56 000 739 - 740

Fax: +49 (0) 69 56 000 728

India: Embassy of Iran in New Delhi

Tel: +91-11-23329600/ 01 / 02

Fax: +91-11-23325493

To contact campaign activists in the US or Iran, please email Soheila Vahdati soheilavahdati gmail.com or Shadi Sadr shadisadr gmail.com.