Iran’s so-called justice ministry has postponed for a month the hanging of Reyhaneh Jabbari, who allegedly stabbed to death a former intelligence office whom she said testified tried to rape her.
Jabbari used a small pen knife to fend off the attacker, who has been described as a burly man, in the shoulder, leaving open several questions concerning his supposed inability to get up and seek medical attention, as reported here.
No Iranian official ever can admit wrongdoing, and the “death” has being interpreted as a probable commutation of her death sentence. It is not known if she will serve more time in prison, assuming her life is spared.
The case attracted worldwide attention after she was arrested in 2007 for the murder of Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, the attacker who she stabbed as he tried to rape her.
The prosecution’s case against her has been highly questioned, and her lawyers said she was not given a fair trial, which is far from surprising. Human Rights Watch has been leading a drive to save Jabbari’s life, and the Iranian judiciary earlier this year agreed to review the death sentence.
Approximately 200,000 people have signed a petition in her behalf.
