TEHRAN, March 19 (UPI) -- An Iranian woman facing death by stoning for adultery has been freed on the orders of an amnesty commission of Iran's judiciary.
Mokarrameh Ebrahimi had been in custody for 11 years when she was released unexpectedly from prison along with the son she bore for lover, Jafar Kiani, the BBC reported Wednesday.
Kiani was stoned to death in 2007 sparking an international outcry.
Human and women's rights groups in both Iran and abroad have been lobbying to prevent Ebrahimi from sharing the same fate, the BBC said.
Her lawyer, Shadi Sadr, says when Ebrahimi was told she was being released Monday night she thought it was a trick. Sadr said it is unclear what led the judiciary to free her.
Amnesty International says death by stoning is enshrined under Iranian law. The London-based organization says Iran's penal code dictates men should be buried up to their waists and women up to their breasts while being stoned. The law even prescribes the size of the stones to be used.
