Iranian woman to be hanged Wednesday: rights group

BERLIN: An Iranian woman whose sentence of execution by stoning for adultery provoked a worldwide outcry will instead be hanged for murder on Wednesday, a human rights group said.

“The authorities in Tehran have given the go-ahead to Tabriz prison for the execution of Iran stoning case Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani,” the International Committee against Stoning, a German-based campaign group, said on its website.

“It has been reported that she is to be executed this Wednesday, 3 November.” Officials in Iran were not available to confirm or deny the report.

Ashtiani’s stoning sentence was suspended after prominent political and religious figures called it “medieval”, “barbaric” and “brutal”. Brazil, a close ally of Iran’s, offered to give the 43-year-old mother of two asylum.

A government spokesman said in September Ashtiani’s adultery conviction was under review but the charge of being complicit in the murder of her husband was still pending.

Under the Islamic law in force in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, murder is punishable by hanging, adultery by stoning.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fended off questions about the case from reporters when he attended the UN General Assembly in September, saying it had been fabricated by hostile Western media and called the United States hypocritical for its record on executions.

The case has worsened relations between Iran and the West, which are locked in a dispute over Tehran’s nuclear programme, and was further complicated last month when two Germans were arrested in Iran while conducting an interview with Ashtiani’s son.

The men entered Iran with tourist visas and were not authorised to act as journalists, judicial officials said. The German government is trying to secure their release.

In August, Iranian television aired an interview with a woman it said was Ashtiani admitting a relationship with a man who then murdered her husband. The International Committee Against Stoning, called the TV show “toxic propaganda”.

The United States has imposed sanctions on eight senior Iranian officials, including the commander of the Revolutionary Guards and several cabinet ministers, for human rights abuses.

That is in addition to the sanctions over Iran’s nuclear activities which it fears is aimed at making an atomic bomb, something Tehran denies.

According to Amnesty International, Iran is second only to China in the number of executions it carries out. It put to death at least 346 people in 2008. – Reuters

Up to 30 killed in blasts in Iraqi capital: police

BAGHDAD: Up to 30 people were killed in a series of explosions around Baghdad on Tuesday, a police source said, two days after al Qaeda militants staged a bloodbath when they took hostages in a Christian church in the Iraqi capital.

More than 10 car bombs and roadside bombs exploded, some outside cafes, in the early evening in several mainly Shi’ite areas of the city, officials said.

The police source, who asked not to be identified, said more than 60 people were wounded. – Reueters

Ahmadinejad criticised by Iran Revolutionary Guards

TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has come under unprecedented criticism from the Revolutionary Guards, the elite military force usually considered his staunch supporter.

A harshly worded article in the Guards’ monthly magazine echoes criticism of Ahmadinejad from other parts of the Iranian establishment and shows attempts to mend rifts within the Islamic Republic’s ruling elite have yet to work.

Ahmadinejad and his close aides have faced criticism from lawmakers, the judiciary and some powerful clerics for saying parliament is no longer at the centre of affairs and promoting an “Iranian” rather than an “Islamic” school of thought.

In an article entitled: “Is parliament at the centre of affairs or not?” the magazine, Payam-e Enghelab (Message of the Revolution), asked: “Does being on top justify whatever action the government thinks is right, disregarding the law?”

Re-elected in June 2009, Ahmadinejad faced down huge demonstrations from an opposition movement which says the vote was rigged, something he denies. Divisions among the hardliners have become more apparent in the months since the protests were put down, through sometimes violent repression.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has its own navy, air force and command structure separate from the regular armed forces. Along with its voluntary militia, the Basij, it played a key role in quelling the post-election unrest which was the worst seen since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

The rifts prompted Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to call for all branches of government to support the president whose government he has hailed as extremely successful.

“National unity is very important and must be strengthened with every passing day… and by that I am addressing both officials and ordinary people,” Khamenei said during his recent visit to the holy city of Qom.

FUNDAMENTAL

But Payam-e Enghelab’s criticisms were similar to those voiced by parliament, the judiciary and clerics.

“Dealing with marginal and unnecessary issues by some politicians has become the country’s main issue,” the magazine said, referring to the controversy about the “Iranian” school of thought which many of Ahmadinejad’s fellow conservatives say smacks of secular nationalism.

“Adopting these kinds of stance has no benefit but creating separation and division in the Islamic Revolution front and casting doubt about fundamental stances,” it said.

The harshest words were about Ahmadinejad’s remark about parliament’s reduced power, which some critics have said was a contradiction of the stance of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini — the deeply revered late leader of the Islamic Revolution.

“The superficial interpretation of Imam Khomeini’s remarks and changing them in a way that meets a few people’s interests for a short time is an irreparable mistake,” it said.

Indignation about Ahmadinejad’s apparent disregard for parliament has pushed some former rivals within the legislature — in the hardliner “principlist” camp and more moderate “reformists” — closer together.

“The prominent figures of principlists and reformists have formed an unwritten alliance,” Ali Motahari, a prominent hardline MP who is an outspoken critic of Ahmadinejad, was quoted as saying by the reformist Sharq newspaper on Tuesday.

The pressures on Ahmadinejad from within the hardline camp at home comes as Iran faces tighter economic sanctions aimed at curbing its nuclear programme which some countries fear is aimed at making a bomb, something Tehran denies.

Iranians are also bracing themselves for the impact of Ahmadinejad’s cornerstone economic plan: slashing billions of dollars of subsidies for essentials like food and fuel.

Economists outside Iran have said sudden hikes in prices of items like gasoline — likely to happen in the coming weeks — could reignite popular unrest. Politicians within the Islamic Republic have warned of “economic sedition” as opponents of the regime seek to stir trouble.

Mirhossein Mousavi, the opposition leader who lost the 2009 election, said an increased police presence in recent days was a government attempt to intimidate anyone thinking of protesting.

The police have said it is conducting a crackdown on crime. – Reuters

Nato helicopters violate Pakistan’s border limits

PESHAWAR: Nato helicopters violated Pakistani territory limits near the Pak-Afghan border area on Tuesday.

According to official sources, Nato gunship helicopters violated Pakistan’s border limits in the areas of Burkha and Kharlacha.

The gunship helicopters came 600 meters inside Pakistani borders and after flying in the area for 10 minutes, they retreated to Afghanistan.

LHC issues contempt notices to CEC, MNA Khadija Waran

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday issued contempt of court notices to the Chief Election Commissioner, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MNA Khadija Waran and the Returning Officer.

MNA Khadija Waran, representative of the NA-184 Bahawalpur constituency, had earlier submitted an application with the Election Commission of Pakistan which referred to the LHC’s disqualification of her husband Amir Yar Waran as part of a conspiracy.

Khadija Waran’s opposing candidate Najeeb Awaisi argued in the court that Amir Yar Waran was disqualified due to fake academic records. He further said that accusing the court of conspiracy was tantamount to contempt of court.

PML-N’s Awaisi requested that the court recommend action against Khadija Waran and said the EC and the Returning Officer should also be held accountable for accepting the application.

LHC’s Justice Mohammad Tariq subsequently issued contempt of court notices to the three who were also directed to submit their replies in court within 15 days.

Petition challenges Qazilbash, Ranjha nominations in JC

LAHORE: A petition was filed in the Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry on Tuesday challenging the nominations of former law minister Dr Khalid Ranjha and Justice (Rtd) Ali Hussain Qazilbash as members of the Judicial Commission.

The Supreme Court had nominated Justice (Rtd) Qazilbash, a former judge of the Supreme Court, whereas PML-Q Senator Khalid Ranjha was nominated by the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) as its representative in the commission.

The petition challenging the nominations was filed by Barrister Zafarullah. It stated that Justice (Rtd) Qazilbash was 85-year-old and therefore not fit for the job. The petitioner further stated that Qazilbash’s nomination was also in violation of the verdict in the Al Jihad Trust case.

Moreover, the petition stated that the PBC was supposed to nominate a representative, not a member of the bar.

PM Gilani sees no chance of military coup

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister says he sees no chance of midterm elections or a military coup in the country.

Pakistan’s unstable political scene and media frequently throw up rumors that the army may intervene to get rid of the elected government as it has done in the past. There is also speculation that opposition parties may demand fresh elections before President Asif Ali Zardari’s term ends in 2013.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani told lawmakers on Tuesday that the army was ”pro-democracy” and would not impose martial law. – AP