A toddler bride sentenced to death by Iran over the death of her husband has been spared from execution after being “forgiven” by the sufferer’s household. Goli Kouhkan, now 25, was due to be executed this month before the case sparked worldwide outcry.
Last week, UN human rights specialists implored Iran to halt Kouhkan’s execution as she was pressured into marrying her cousin at 12 and grew to become a mom 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 web site 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 paperwork were signed.
UN specialists and other human rights teams beforehand said that sparing Kouhkan’s life was contingent on her raising so-called blood money. Under sharia law, this means a particular person can keep away from execution if they pay for the life that has been taken.
Kouhkan’s lawyer, Parand Gharahdaghi, revealed on Instagram that the unique sum of around £87,000 had been lowered to roughly £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 present tally by IHR, over 40 girls have been executed by Iranian authorities this 12 months alone, with many being victims of poverty, youngster marriage and home 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 homicide 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 ensuing 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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