EU calls 'barbaric' plans to stone Iranian woman

The European Union has condemned the death sentence by stoning for a widowed Iranian woman convicted of adultery.

The European Union has condemned the death sentence by stoning for a widowed Iranian woman convicted of adultery.

HT Image

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Tuesday in his first State of the Union address to parliament that he is "appalled" by the news of the sentencing, and called it "barbaric beyond words." He received long applause.

The sentence against Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was put on hold in July after an international outcry over the brutality of the punishment, and it is now being reviewed by Iran's supreme court. Ashtiani's lawyer has said there are still worries the delayed execution could be carried out soon with the end of a moratorium on death sentences for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.