As reported by Elham Gheytanchi at the Ms.Blog, "The International Committee Against Stoning reported Monday that the Iranian government has given the go-ahead for Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani to be executed for adultery. ..Ashtiani has been in prison since 2007 on charges of adultery. Her daughter and son (now also imprisoned without the right to a lawyer) started an international campaign that has created a wave of protest against her sentence of death by stoning. The Iranian authorities have denied the sentencing on numerous occasions, but Ashtiani is in prison in Tabriz–an Iranian province–and it is not uncommon for provincial judges to carry out sentences independently of orders from the capital.

Based on Sharia law, the criminal code in Iran is one of the cruelest and most discriminatory legal codes in the world today. Stealing, adultery and minor misdemeanors carry harsh punishments. Cutting off hands or fingers, and death by stoning or flogging, are among the sentences carried out.

Furthermore, the criminal code is discriminatory against women as well as religious and ethnic minorities. Women and minorities are not considered full individuals with rights; rather, the judiciary–in most cases–legally endorses violence against them.

But that is just part of the story. The Islamic Republic of Iran is also based on two important principles: immense respect for the status of motherhood and the Islamic mandate of forgiveness exercised by pious Muslims in their everyday lives. Widows of the soldiers who fought in the Iran-Iraq war were among the first women to claim their rights, in the mid-1980s. These widows made the judicial system acknowledge mothers’ rights to custody of their children and the right to inheritance.

The Islamic traditions of compassion, forgiveness, and mercy do exist in Iran’s criminal sanctioning system. This feature of Iran’s criminal system has saved many lives so far.

As Ashtiani faces imminent execution, the international community can and should demand real justice–be it Islamic or otherwise."

Things to know: Kyle Bachan writes: "Her lawyer has told the press that the imprisoned Iranian woman was abused and sold for sex by her husband in order to fuel his drug addiction. In 2004, a man allegedly raped Ashtiani in her own home with her husband’s permission. Despite her pleas for a divorce, her husband refused and denied her the right to visit her family and relatives.

The lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaei, expressed concern for his client following the airing of Press TV’s “reenactment of the crime scene” broadcast, in hopes of rallying more attention to her case:

"I believe my client is now in a very dangerous situation. … It’s my duty to speak on her behalf. Just before they want to execute someone they put them on state TV to talk about their crime and condemn themselves.

She had two children, but [her husband] continued to abuse her physically and verbally, refusing to give her a divorce. Eventually he became an opium addict and demanded that she support his habit by prostituting herself."

Please heed Mostafaei’s urgent call to support Ashtiani."

To take action to stop the execution, sign here, and also at Care2 for Amnesty International.