September 7, 2010
The international crossfire over Iran's stoning sentence for a woman convicted of adultery intensified Tuesday with a top European Union official calling it "barbaric" and an Iranian spokesman saying it's about punishing a criminal and not a human rights issue.
The sharp words from both sides provide a snapshot of the dispute: Western leaders are ramping up pressure for Iran to call off the sentence for Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, and Iran is framing it as a matter for its own courts and society.
The case of the 43-year-old mother of two also spills over into larger and even more complex issues for Iran's Islamic leaders of national sovereignty and defense of their system of justice.
Iranian authorities routinely defend their legal codes and human rights standards as fully developed and in keeping with the country's traditions and values. They have widely ignored Western denunciations over the crackdowns after last year's disputed presidential election.
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