Yesterday the news from Iran was grim if a little confused, especially for one person in particular, namely Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43 year old mother of two who has been sentenced to death by stoning for adultery and death by hanging for murdering her husband. She denies both charges and there remains much doubt as to what exactly has happened in the courts but the stoning sentence remains and she faces death. Her husband was murdered by a man who has been tried for the offence and she was implicated during the trial.

On Thursday of last week Teresa Lewis, a 41 year old mother of one, was executed by the State of Virginia, for conspiring to kill her husband and stepson. The two men who actually killed him and his son were both given life sentences in prison. Lewis was said to have had learning difficulties, though not so bad as to meet the medical definition of ‘mentally retarded’. Her appeal for clemency was denied by the Supreme Court and she was killed by lethal injection. She accepted her guilt, though her lawyers did argue that she had been persuaded by her lover – one of the killers.

Two women sharing not dissimilar stories; two gruesome sentences; two countries sure in their moral right to take life as punishment.

I have no comment to make – I just felt that these two stories deserved to be on the same page.

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