A child bride sentenced to death by Iran over the death of her husband has been spared from execution after being « forgiven » by the victim’s family. Goli Kouhkan, now 25, was due to be executed this month before the case sparked international outcry.
Last week, UN human rights experts implored Iran to halt Kouhkan’s execution as she was forced into marrying her cousin at 12 and became a mother at 13. Both Kouhkan, a member of the Baluch minority without documentation, and her son endured violent abuse from her husband.
The judiciary’s Mizan Online website said « she was forgiven through the mediation of the judicial system and the consent of the deceased’s parents » and posted a video of the ceremony where the forgiveness documents were signed.
UN experts and other human rights groups previously said that sparing Kouhkan’s life was contingent on her raising so-called blood money. Under sharia law, this means a person can avoid execution if they pay for the life that has been taken.
Kouhkan’s lawyer, Parand Gharahdaghi, revealed on Instagram that the original sum of around £87,000 had been reduced to approximately £70,000 and raised through donations and charities.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights, said « her case reflects the discrimination and structural violence experienced by many women in the Islamic Republic who face the death penalty ».
As per the current tally by IHR, over 40 women have been executed by Iranian authorities this year alone, with many being victims of poverty, child marriage and domestic abuse.
Amiry-Moghaddam added: « In court, no consideration was given to Goli’s age at the time of marriage, the history of domestic violence, or the fact that she had no access to a lawyer during her arrest and interrogation and was illiterate at the time. »
IHR reports that she was apprehended for the murder of her husband in May 2018, when she was 18, and sentenced to death alongside his cousin.
It was reported that she had sought help from her husband’s cousin when he was assaulting her and her son, which led to a confrontation resulting in her husband’s death.
IHR has indicated that the cousin, Mohammad Abil, « remains on death row and at risk of execution ».
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