Soraya Manutchehri was a 35-year-old Iranian woman who, according to accounts published by French-Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam, was stoned to death in the village of Kuhpayeh on August 15, 1986. She had been accused of adultery and sentenced to death.
According to Sahebjam’s account, Manutchehri’s husband, Ghorban-Ali, wanted to end their marriage so that he could marry another woman. The account states that he accused Manutchehri of adultery after she refused to accept the proposed divorce.
The accusation was connected to Manutchehri’s work preparing food for a local widower. Sahebjam’s account states that her husband and others used this association as part of the allegations against her.
Manutchehri’s aunt, Zahra, was identified as a principal witness in Sahebjam’s account. Sahebjam reportedly encountered Zahra while traveling through Iran, and she described the circumstances surrounding her niece’s accusation, conviction, and execution.
The execution was carried out by stoning. Accounts state that Manutchehri was buried in the ground and that stones were thrown at her until she died. The case has been described in subsequent publications as an example of the use of stoning as a capital punishment.
Sahebjam published his account of Manutchehri’s death in the French-language book La Femme Lapidée in 1990. An English-language edition, The Stoning of Soraya M., was subsequently published and brought the story to a wider international readership.
The case was adapted into the 2008 film The Stoning of Soraya M., directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh. The film dramatized the events described in Sahebjam’s book and portrayed Zahra as the principal witness to the events.
Manutchehri’s case has subsequently been discussed in relation to capital punishment, adultery laws, women's legal status, and the use of stoning in Iran. Accounts of the case rely substantially on Sahebjam’s reporting, and aspects of his account have been disputed.
The reported execution of Soraya Manutchehri took place in 1986, during the early years of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Her story subsequently became the subject of journalism, literature, film, and discussions concerning criminal law and women's rights.
