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Life of woman sentenced to death by stoning could be spared
"Iran's Council of Human Rights has helped a lot to reduce her sentence and we think there is a good chance that her life could be saved."
- Ali Khamenei, and the current secretary general of Iran's High Council for Human Rights
Iran has signalled for the first time that it may spare the life of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the Iranian woman whose sentence of death by stoning for adultery has sparked an international outcry.
The unprecedented comments by Larijani, whose brothers are holding key positions in the Islamic Republic, one as the head of parliament and the other as the chief of judiciary, came after his visit to the UN last week where he extended an invitation during a meeting with Ban Ki-moon to the UN's human rights chief to visit Iran.
Should Mohammadi Ashtiani's life be spared it will be a victory for human rights activists and the media around the world who devoted a significant amount of time campaigning against her execution.