Brussels : The European Union on Tuesday condemned the death sentence by stoning for a widowed Iranian woman, convicted of adultery.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in his first State of the Union address to the parliament that he was “appalled” by the news of the sentencing, and called it “barbaric beyond words,” he was quoted by a news agency as saying.
His strong words against the west Asian nation’s sentencing were greeted by the attending members.
The sentence against Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was put on hold in July after an international outcry over the brutality of the punishment, and is now being reviewed by Iran’s Supreme Court.
Ashtiani’s lawyer has said there are still worries that the delayed execution could be carried out soon with the end of a moratorium on death sentences for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.