Woman Victim of Child Marriage Faces Imminent Execution in Iran

An Iranian victim of child marriage who has been sentenced to death for killing her husband is set to be executed on December 13, according to a human rights organization.

The Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) group said that Samira Sabzian was transferred to the quarantine ward of Qarchak prison, in Tehran province, ahead of her planned execution.

The inmate was allowed to meet with her two children, aged 17 and 10, for the first time since the start of her incarceration a decade ago, it said.

“Samira, like many other women on death row, has been a victim of the gender apartheid system in the Islamic Republic,” IHR Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said.

"At this stage, only strong international reactions can save her life. We urge all countries with diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic to demand a halt to Samira’s execution before it's too late," he added. 

Sabzian was 15 years old when she got married. She killed her husband four years later, in 2013. Her children were aged seven years and six months at the time of the murder. 

IHR cited informed sources as saying that Sabzian initially refused to meet her children in prison, hoping to obtain the forgiveness from her husband's parents. 

The children’s custody was granted to paternal relatives. 

Under Islamic Penal Code, those accused of murder are all sentenced to death, regardless of their motives and the circumstances of the crime. 

The victim's family is given the choice between accepting the death penalty or opting for financial compensation. 

In Sabzian's case, her children's grandparents were the plaintiffs and requested the death penalty to be carried out.

The Islamic Republic stands as the world's leading executioner of women, having hanged at least 16 of them in 2022. 

At least 17 women were executed in the country so far this year. 

Under Iranian laws, women cannot seek divorce, even in cases of domestic violence.