Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) -- A prominent human rights lawyer is sitting in a detention cell in Turkey as an Iranian court prepares to render a final decision -- possibly Thursday -- in the case of his client, Sakineh Mohammedie Ashtiani, who was sentenced to death by stoning after being convicted of adultery.
But Mohammad Mostafaei, who helped launch a worldwide campaign to clear Ashtiani, has much more on his mind. More than 1,000 miles away, his wife is in a cell too -- in Iran's notorious Evin prison.
"You know, I do not know what the future holds at the moment. Either the government of Turkey is going to report me back to Iran, or hopefully I can gain asylum in a third country," Mostafaei said in a CNN interview. "I am not sure what will happen to me".
However, a Turkish foreign ministry official told CNN Thursday that Mostafaei will not be extradited to Iran.
"As you know, he applied for asylum and within a day or two he will go to a country of his choice probably in Europe," the official said. "Norway is among the options. His extradition [to Iran] is out of the question".
Meanwhile, Iran again on Thursday lashed out at the international media for what it called the politicization of Ashtiani's case. Gholam Hossein Dehghani, a foreign ministry official attending a United Nations meeting in Switzerland, said Ashtiani was not only accused of adultery, but she had also been found guilty of conspiracy to murder her husband.
"The delegation was amazed at how journals had swayed the public opinion on this matter, but in Iran, anyone who murdered an innocent person could be subject to capital punishment," Dehghani said, according to minutes of the meeting.
Mostafaei went into hiding July 24 after a lengthy interrogation at Evin prison. The same day, rallies were being held worldwide to draw attention to Ashtiani's case. CNN
