“When the judge handed down my sentence, I even didn’t realize I’m supposed to be stoned to death because I didn’t know what ‘rajam’ means,” said Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, according to the Guardian. “They asked me to sign my sentence which I did, then I went back to the prison and my cellmates told me that I was going to be stoned to death and I instantly fainted.”The Iranian government shook an international beehive in July when it sentenced 43-year-old Ashtiani to death by stoning for charges of adultery.

After heavy international criticism from governments and human rights organizations around the world, Iran suspended her sentence in early September, according to the BBC.

“This is a positive development but nothing is clear yet,” said Ashtiani’s former lawyer Mohammed Mostafaei to Fox News. “There have been cases in Iran of stonings being changed to hangings. We have to wait and see what happens.”

Although the publicity is recent, Ashtiani’s struggles are not.
In 2006, Ashtiani was convicted of having “illicit relationships” with two men after her husband’s death and was imprisoned. Later that year, Ashtiani gave a confession to an additional crime, adultery, and was sentenced to death by stoning.

Ashtiani claims she made the confession under duress while in prison and then received 99 lashes in front of her teenage son, Sajjad Ashtiani, MSNBC News reported. Ashtiani was later charged as an accomplice in her husband’s murder.

It is speculated that the Iranian government attempted to deflate international outrage by charging Ashtiani with murder. Because murder is punishable by death in many countries around the world, the government hoped that her execution would be viewed as justifiable.

According to National Public Radio (NPR), Houtan Javid Kian, Ashtiani’s lawyer said Ashtiani never received a trial or the opportunity to present a defense against the murder charges presented by the government.

“There is no charge of murder in her file,” said Kian to ABC News. “She would have been hanged years ago if she had any role in the murder of her husband . She had absolutely no role in the murder.”

However, according to the Iranian government, the accusations against Ashtiani have been sufficiently established.
“Her guilt has been demonstrated,” said Ambassador Ali Akbar Naseri, according to NPR.

The majority of the world seems to disagree.
Ashtiani’s sentence has drawn unwanted attention on a global level to Iran’s capital punishment system. Both the methods and crimes that qualify for execution are under international scrutiny.

President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, declared Ashtiani’s sentence was “barbaric beyond words,” according to The New York Times.

The brutal execution method of stoning came into practice after the 1979 revolution. ABC News reports that during a sentenced stoning such as Ashtiani’s, men are usually buried up to the waist and women are buried to the chest with their hands buried at their sides. Those involved in the verdict throw stones until the guilty party dies.

In 2008, Iran executed at least 346 people, second only to China, according to The New York Times. The exact number of people stoned is not known, as the government does not record such executions, stated ABC News.

According to the BBC, the Iranian government is unhappy with the attempted interference by external governments, arguing that the death penalty is necessary in preserving public security.
The BBC also reports that countries around the world have demanded Ashtiani’s release, despite the stoning charge being dropped. Even Brazil, an ally to Iran, has offered her asylum.

“I call on … Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to permit Brazil to grant asylum to this woman,” said Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to the BBC. “If she is causing problems there, we will welcome her here.”

While the Iranian government is falling under heavy criticism, Iranians are speaking out.

“It’s terrible,” said Sahel Ghaghchy, a 17-year-old Iranian citizen living in Greensboro. “Yes, this woman said she committed adultery, yes she said she was an accomplice in her husband’s murder, but she didn’t even get a trial. How do we know this is true? Stoning is horribly cruel and no one deserves that no matter what you’ve done. It’s wrong and I still can’t believe a country practices this.”

Ghaghchy hopes the world will differentiate between the Iranian government and its people.

“Iran has good people, a beautiful culture and language,” said Ghaghchy. “It’s the politics, they make Persians look bad. They make us look like we’re bad people. But what can we do when our government makes us look like that?”

The world has spoken out to Ashtiani, and she has heard their calls.

“For all these years, (the officials) have tried to put something in my mind, to convince me that I’m an adulterous woman, an irresponsible mother, a criminal,” said Ashtiani to the Guardian. “But with the international support, once again I’m finding myself, my innocent self.