Mike has today joined with 119 other MPs in writing to the President of Iran, calling upon him to free Sakineh Ashtiani and to take responsibility for his commitments as a signatory to the International Declaration of Human Rights.
Mrs Ashtiani was convicted of adultery in 2007 and sentenced to death by stoning, causing international outcry. The Iranian authorities reacted by apparently forcing her to confess to the murder of her husband, meaning she is under threat of being executed by hanging. The letter has been sent through the Iranian Ambassador.
Speaking from hisWestminsteroffice Mike said, “This is a cross-party appeal directly to the President, calling upon him to release Sakineh Ashtiani and end the wider violation of human rights inIran.
I know from the Iranian diaspora in Finchley and Golders Green how important it is to keep up the pressure on the Iranian authorities, who we have seen can be embarrassed into action.”