Iran's President Tries to Shift Focus from Stoning Case to US Execution

Strategic Insights -

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is attempting to deflect international criticism over the stoning sentence of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani by highlighting the case of Teresa Lewis, a 41-year-old Virginia woman scheduled to be executed by lethal injection. Ahmadinejad claimed that while Ashtiani's case has sparked widespread outrage, Lewis's impending execution has received little attention from the Western media.

Iran has been criticized for its human rights record, with 3.7 million internet pages dedicated to Ashtiani's case. The Iranian President accused the Western media of being propaganda agents who promote democracy and human rights while ignoring the US's "double standards." The Iranian Foreign Ministry, several MPs, and state-controlled media have also protested the US's handling of Lewis's case.

Key Takeaways:

  • Teresa Lewis is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection in Virginia tomorrow night, having been convicted of hiring two men to murder her husband and stepson eight years ago.
  • Lewis's defence lawyers argued that she had an IQ of 72 and was manipulated by her accomplices, who wanted to share the life insurance money.
  • Both Lewis and Ashtiani are accused of having adulterous relationships with their husband's killers, but the cases have significant differences.
  • Unlike Ashtiani, who has been sentenced to death by stoning, Lewis's execution is scheduled to be carried out by lethal injection.
  • Analysts have pointed out that the US's handling of Lewis's case is not comparable to Iran's treatment of Ashtiani.
  • Iran's state-controlled media has given little attention to Ashtiani's plight, while Lewis's sentence has been widely reported in the US.

Statistics:

  • 3.7 million internet pages dedicated to Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's case
  • Teresa Lewis is scheduled to be first woman executed in Virginia in 98 years
  • Lewis's execution is the first in the US in five years
  • Ashtiani has been subjected to 99 lashes for adultery
  • Lewis's IQ at 72, just two points above the legal definition of mentally retarded

Sources:

  • The Guardian [No date]
  • The New York Times [No date]
  • PBS [No date]
  • Amnesty International [No date]
  • Mission Free Iran [No date]
  • The Washington Post [No date]