A woman identified as Ashtiani said in the state TV report shown Monday: “I am a sinner.” The woman’s face was blurred and her words were voiced over in what the TV report said was a translation into Farsi from Azeri Turkish, which is spoken in parts of Iran.
The report also broadcast purported statements by two men identified as Ashtiani’s son, Sajjad Qaderzadeh, and her lawyer, Houtan Kian, both of whom were arrested last month.
It also aired remarks allegedly made by two Germans who were arrested purportedly while trying to interview Ashtiani’s family in October.
Ashtiani was convicted in 2006 of having an “illicit relationship” with two men after the murder of her husband the year before and was sentenced at that time to 99 lashes. Later that year, she was also convicted of adultery and sentenced to be stoned, even though she retracted a confession that she says was made under duress.
Her family and lawyer have said in the past that Ashtiani was tortured while in custody.
In the state TV report, Qaderzadeh said he lied about his mother being tortured, and blamed the family’s lawyer, Kian, for the attention surrounding the case.
“He (Kian) told me to say she (Ashtiani) was tortured,” Qaderzadeh said. “Unfortunately, I listened to him and said lies to the foreign media.” The faces of all the three Iranian’s were blurred in Monday’s report, while the Germans’ faces were shown clearly.
