Iranians put Ashtiani through mock execution

The Iranian woman awaiting execution for committing adultery, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, was told by prison officials on Saturday that she was to be hanged at dawn on Sunday. But it never happened and, according to her son, there was never any plan to carry out the sentence.

Sajad Ashtiani, 22, told the Guardian his 43-year-old mother had written out her will and said her farewells to cellmates in Tabriz prison before the call to morning prayer, after which she believed she would be hanged.

In anticipation of what turned out to be a mock execution, prison authorities had even denied visits from her family and lawyer during the previous week.

Mohammadi Ashtiani's ordeal began in 2006 when she was sentenced to death by stoning after being convicted of adultery. She had earlier been given 99 lashes for conducting an "illicit relationship" with two men after the death of her husband.

Her plight led to an international outcry when it came to prominence this year, prompting the Iranian authorities to commute the sentence of stoning to hanging. Ashtiani remains on death row.

Sajad said yesterday: "Pressure from the international community has so far stopped them from carrying out the sentence but they're killing her every day by any means possible... They are furious with the international outcry over my mother's case so they are taking revenge on her."

Meanwhile, the international criticism of Tehran's judicial mistreatment of Ashtiani intensifies, with France protesting over Carla Bruni, the wife of President Nicolas Sarkozy, being described as a "prostitute" who "deserved to die". French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said yesterday that the comments were "unacceptable".

Bruni had written an open letter supporting Ashtiani which prompted the Iranian daily paper Kayhan to call her a prostitute on account of unsubstantiated rumours earlier this year that both she and Sarkozy had conducted separate affairs.

Under Iran's interpretation of Islamic law, any woman or man faces death if they have sex out of wedlock.

Iranian authorities yesterday sought to distance themselves from the hardline newspaper, with the foreign ministry ordering the media to avoid "inappropriate and insulting words". ·