The televised so-called confession on August 12 comes in the midst of international outrage over a stoning sentence against the woman, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, by the clerical regime.
Ms. Ashtiani’s lawyer, Mohammad Mostafai, recently fled Iran fearing his safety after being summoned for interrogation by the regime’s agents for helping bring international attention to his client’s case.
Ms. Ashtiani’s forced confession was reportedly obtained after she was beaten and tortured. She was then taken to Room 37 of Tabriz prison in northwestern Iran to prepare her “confessions.”
Javid Kian, who along with Mr. Mostafai, defended Ms. Ashtiani, said that “he was informed by his clients at the women’s ward of Tabriz prison that Sakineh was placed under torture and severely beaten to force her into giving a televised confession.”
The Iranian state-run TV also aired interviews with a number of Ms. Ashtiani’s relatives to justify her execution sentence by the medieval punishment of stoning.