Iran backed Press TV cleared over murder reconstruction
Press TV, an Iranian state backed English language channel based in London, has been cleared by Ofcom over a controversial interview in which Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani allegedly confessed to her husbands death.
It purportedly showed Ashtiani rendering her husband unconscious before a killer electrocuted him.
The show, broadcast in the UK, went on to show Ashtiani reconstructing this sequence of events - with her son acting out the role of her husband.
Ofcom ruled however that these actions did not breach its code saying: “Given the broadcaster's assurances that both Sakineh Ashtiani and her son willingly participated in this programme, we considered that the context was not materially misleading so as to cause harm and offence.”
The regulator continued: “The fact that both did not appear to be in any obvious distress in their appearances on screen" was factored in, adding that "the content, though potentially offensive to some, could be justified by the context".
Ashtiani was sentenced to death by stoning for adultery last December.