Iran orders 99 lashes for woman facing execution

An Iranian woman who'd already been condemned to death faces another sentence of 99 lashes because of a case of mistaken identity in a photograph, according to opponents of the execution. Iranian authorities imposed the sentence after they saw the photo of a woman without a head scarf in a newspaper, the International Committee Against Stoning, a human rights group, said. In an apology, The Times of London, which ran the photo on its front page on August 28 2010, said the woman was wrongly identified as Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who had previously been sentenced to death by stoning for adultery. The Times said the photo actually is of Susan Hejrat, a political activist living in Sweden. Iranian law requires all women, regardless of their faith, to wear garments that cover their hair and bodies. Ashtiani was sentenced to death by stoning after she was convicted of adultery. Ashtiani, who is being held in Tabriz, Iran, no longer has visitation rights. The Committee Against Stoning has said that Iran announced she will not be executed during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends around September 9. Iran's judiciary could reinstate her sentence of death by stoning, execute her by other means, or possibly grant her a reprieve, according to human rights groups.