Execution of Samira Sabzian; Iran Human Rights Organization Calls for Global Response

The Iran Human Rights Organization reported on the execution of Samira Sabzian at dawn on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, stating that Sabzian, a child bride sentenced to "qisas nafs" (retribution in kind) for the alleged "premeditated murder" of her husband, was executed in Gohardasht Prison in Karaj. The organization condemned this execution and called for a "serious response from the international community" to the wave of executions in Iran. Mahmoud Amiri-Moghaddam, the director of this organization, stated: "Samira Sabzian was a victim of gender apartheid, child marriage, and domestic violence for years, and today she became a victim of the execution machine of an ineffective and corrupt government that survives only through killing and intimidation. Ali Khamenei and other officials of the Islamic Republic must be held accountable for this crime." Reports indicate that Sabzian's execution was initially scheduled for Wednesday, December 13, but was postponed following widespread media coverage and civil society reactions. According to human rights sources, Samira Sabzian married at the age of 15 and was a child bride; her relatives stated that she had been a victim of domestic violence before the alleged murder. The Iran Human Rights Organization also reported that at the time of the murder, Sabzian had two children aged 7 years and 6 months, and she had been deprived of seeing her children for the past 10 years due to her imprisonment. Reports indicate that she met her children for the first time in years for a final visit before her execution. The "Hrana" website, a news outlet for human rights activists in Iran, also covered the statistics of executions in Iran. According to "Hrana," at least 617 citizens were executed in 2023, including 13 women and 6 child offenders, marking an increase of over 80% compared to the same period the previous year. It was also reported that among the executed, two were executed "in public." Additionally, 136 others were sentenced to death during this period, with 6 of them sentenced to public execution. Reports indicate that 18 women have been executed in Iran this year. Exclusive; the postponement of Samira Sabzian's execution, a child bride accused of murdering her husband, coincided with the Islamic Republic's judiciary executing at least eight prisoners in five cities across Iran.