Last week I posted my interview by Director Cyrus Nowrasteh about his film The Stoning of Soraya M., which tells the true story of a woman falsely accused of adultery and stoned to death.  The film raises awareness of the harsh castigations that exist as law in Iran.  These punishments are barbaric and archaic, and it is time that the laws change to be more just and humane. From the Amnesty International Web site:

“Iran’s Penal Code prescribes execution by stoning as the penalty for adultery by married persons. It even dictates that the stones are large enough to cause pain, but not so large as to kill the victim immediately.”

Iran’s parliament plans to revise the Islamic penal code to omit stoning and amputation of a hand as punishments.  They are also considering the idea of a special court for minors. According to commission head Ali Shahroki, these revisions are in line with the interests of the country.

While it is about time Iran modified their justice system these changes are not guaranteed.  Once the revisions have been made, the parliament must then vote on implementing them for a trial period.  Afterward the vetting legislative body, the Guardians Council, will make the final approval.  However, hopefully this is a positive first step. From an AFP article via WSJ:

“A man found guilty of adultery was stoned to death in the northern city of Rasht earlier this year, a top official told reporters in May, despite a moratorium announced by the judiciary on such executions.”