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French Foreign Minister Pledges To Help Save Iranian Woman


French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said he was willing to "do anything" to save an Iranian woman sentenced to death on an adultery conviction.

Kouchner spoke to reporters today after meeting with one of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's lawyer's, Mohammad Mostafei, in Paris.

He said her case has become a "personal cause" for him.

"This is a punishment, an act that is impossible to even imagine," Kouchner said. "It is the height of barbarity and a return to the Middle Ages."

Iran has lifted the stoning sentence for the 43-year-old mother of two after an international outcry, but the mother of two could still be hanged.

Her 22-year-old son, Sajjad Mohammadi Ashtiani, said today he fears she will be executed shortly after this week's end to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

compiled from agency reports

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