ROME, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- The children of an Iranian woman condemned to death for adultery asked Italy for political asylum, saying they feared being arrested, officials said.
Sajjad Ghaderzadeh, the son of Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, told ANSA Tuesday he and his sister, Sahideh, received telephone calls from people saying they were "intelligence agents who threatened us."
"Once I was called to their office but I didn't go," Ghaderzadeh said. "But there's a chance of us getting arrested, from one moment to the other."
The Italian Foreign Ministry said the request and its reason would be "examined through our contacts with our various European Union partners in Tehran."
Ghaderzadeh, saying his lawyer also was threatened, told ANSA he and his sister had appealed to Pope Benedict XVI to save their mother. Vatican spokesman Frederico Lombardi said the pope was monitoring the case.
Ashtiani was found guilty of murder and adultery and condemned to death by stoning in August, prompting an outcry of international criticism. Iranian officials last month said they were suspending the sentence to review the case.
