Iranian Judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi-Shahrudi...

Iranian Judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi-Shahrudi told visiting EU Commissioner for External Relations Chris Patten on 3 February that executions by stoning are seen as a way of protecting the family, state television reported. "At present, we are not considering a substitute for that punishment," Shahrudi said. The English-language version of the official Iranian wire service described a very different version of the meeting, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. According to IRNA on 4 February, Shahrudi told Patten that the justice system has decided to replace stoning with another form of punishment. Shahrudi criticized the European Union's sensitivity about human rights and claimed that big powers are exploiting the issue. According to IRNA, Patten agreed with Shahrudi that there is a double standard on human rights.