Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, is being slandered by Iranian media for her protest against the stoning sentence given to an Iranian woman convicted of adultery.

An Iranian state-owned newspaper referred to Bruni as a "prostitute" in an editorial, while Iranian state television accused the former supermodel of “immorality,” The Sunday Telegraph reported.

Last week, Bruni signed a petition calling for the release of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtinani, 40, an Iranian citizen who faces stoning after being convicted of having sexual relations with two men who murdered her husband.

In a letter to Ashtinani, Bruni wrote: "Why shed your blood and deprive your children of their mother? Because you have lived, because you have loved, because you’re a woman, and because you’re an Iranian? Everything within me refuses to accept this”.

Ashtiani's case caused a worldwide stir, which succeeded in suspending her sentence. The Iranian Foreign Ministry's spokesman explained that they were reviewing the court's ruling and will announce when they reach a final decision on the matter.

Ashtiani has been in prison for the past five years. She was initially sentenced to 99 floggings for having extra-marital sex, but a court later decided she would be stoned to death. The punishment follows Sharia laws which stipulate that adultery should be met with death by hanging or stoning.