Man stoned to death in Iran

A man has been stoned to death for adultery - and Iran has (for the first time in years) admitted it. Amnesty are rightly campaigning for the protection of his co-defendent. They have both been in prison for the past 11 years.

According to this report the couple were convicted under "Iran's Islamic Law". This is in fact revolutionary law, not Islamic law as laid down in authoritative texts - which set the standard of proof for Zina (adultery) almost impossibly high.

Punishments for Zina around the world...

In Pakistan, under the Hudood Ordinance of 1979 the offence of Zina is punishable by stoning to death, if four Muslim male witnesses to the act come forward.

Although to date, no-one has been stoned to death in Pakistan under this law, calls for it to be repealed are based, among other things, on the need to protect the victims of rape punished under it.

In Morocco the Penal Code says that sex outside marriage can be punished by imprisonment of up to one year.

Jordan imposes a maximum two year sentence if zina is reported within three months of the complainant knowing about it.