Skip to main content

Iran executes Shahla Jahed

Shahla Jahed
Shahla Jahed, convicted of murdering the wife of an Iranian footballer, was hanged before morning call to prayer, reports say

An Iranian woman convicted of murdering the wife of her football player lover was hanged in Iran early today, state news agencies reported.

"A few minutes ago, Shahla Jahed was hanged in the courtyard of Tehran's Evin prison after 3,063 days of being kept in prison," the Fars news agency said.

Islamic Republic Student Agency (ISNA) said that Jahed was hanged at 5am, in the presence of the murdered wife's family. According to Iranian law, her life could have been spared if the family of the murdered woman pardoned her. Iran executes those sentenced to death before the Islamic morning call for prayer.

Jahed was found guilty of the 2002 murder of Laleh Saharkhizan, the wife of Naser Mohammadkhani, a football legend who rose to fame in the mid-1980s and coached Tehran's Persepolis club.

Jahed, who was held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison for nine years, was sentenced to death on the basis of her confession, which she later repeatedly retracted at her public trial.

Her execution is a defeat for human rights activists around the world who campaigned in the past nine years to stop Iran from carrying out her sentence. Last night, Amnesty International and several human rights campaigners called on Iran to stop her execution.

In 2008, the then chief of Iran's judiciary, Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi, ordered a fresh investigation and did not sanction her execution to be carried out. But today Iran defied the international and domestic outcry by hanging her.

Activists in Iran widely suspect that Jahed was forced to confess to the stabbing. Karim Lahidji, the president of the Iranian League for Human Rights, described her as "a victim of a misogynous society" and said: "Shahla Jahed has never had a fair trial in Iran and has always insisted that she is innocent. Although Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's case is about adultery, her case is similar to that of Shahla Jahed because both are victims of the flaws of the Iranian judicial system."

He added: "We are approaching the Human Rights Day on 10 December and once again Iran is executing another woman. That's a clear signal that Iran wants to challenge the world on human rights issues."

Following the murder, Jahed was arrested as the prime suspect, but she refused to talk for nearly a year. Mohammadkhani was also imprisoned for several months on charges of complicity but was finally released after the authorities said Jahed had confessed to committing the crime alone.

Jahed told the judge at her public trial: "If you want to kill me, go ahead … if you send me back there [where her confessions were taken], I'll confess again and not only will I confess to killing her but I'd also confess that I killed those who have been killed by others." She then repeatedly reiterated that she was innocent and that she had not committed any crime.

Mohammadkhani was in Germany when the killing happened, but it emerged later that he was "temporarily married" to Jahed, a practice allowed under Shia Islam. Temporary marriage or "sigheh", as it is known in Iran, allows men to take on wives for as little as a few hours to years on the condition that any offspring are legally and financially provided for. Critics of the tradition see it as legalised prostitution.

Shahla Jahed's case drew huge attention when Iran took the unprecedented decision of holding her trial in public.

In 2005 a documentary about her case and her affairs with the footballer showed footage from her public trial. The documentary, Red Card, was subsequently banned by Iran.

Source: The Guardian, December 1, 2010


Member of European Parliament condemns 'inhumane' execution of Iranian woman

Senior Greens MEP Barbara Lochbihler has condemned the decision of the Iranian authorities to execute the "temporary wife" of an Iranian footballer for the murder of the man's permanent wife.

"The hanging of Khadijeh 'Shahla' Jahed is an act of inhumane and cruel punishment, which should be condemned in the strongest possible terms," she said.

Khadijeh Jahed, known as "Shahla", was reportedly executed by hanging on Wednesday in Tehran.

Amnesty International suggested she might have been wrongly convicted and had called for the punishment to be halted.

She "confessed" to the killing in pre-trial detention after 11 months in jail but withdrew her "confession" in court.

The head of the judiciary in Iran stated in early 2008 that there had been "procedural flaws" and that it was necessary to reinvestigate her case.

Speaking before the reported execution, Amnesty director for the Middle East and North Africa Malcolm Smart said, "Shahla Jahed must be spared execution. The death penalty represents the ultimate denial of human rights."

"As well, in this case, there are good reasons to suggest that she may have been wrongly convicted."

Amnesty said Jahed, who had contracted a temporary marriage with Nasser Mohammad Khani, a former striker for the Iranian national team, was convicted of stabbing to death her husband's permanent wife eight years ago.

In the Shiite faith that is the majority religion in Iran, men and women can marry for an agreed period of time. Afterwards, the marriage is null and void, although it can be renewed.

Men can have up to four permanent wives, and any number of temporary wives. Women can only be married to one man at a time.

Smart said there are "strong grounds to believe that Shahla Jahed did not receive a fair trial, and may have been coerced into making a 'confession' during months of detention in solitary confinement.

"She retracted that confession at her trial but the court chose to accept it as evidence against her."

Lochbihler, a Green MEP and chair of parliament's Iran delegation, was swift to respond, saying the Iranian authorities had "ignored the protests of many activists, politicians and human rights groups against her execution."

She added, "It is truly sad that Iran has become the country with the highest number of executions per capita.

"There are still hundreds of Iranians on death row, waiting for their execution in terrible prison conditions. The Iranian authorities should not allow this situation to continue and should cancel all scheduled executions."

Source: TheParliament.com, December 1, 2010




Amnesty International: Shahla Jahed, the Iranian footballer's wife, was executed on 1 December 2010 in Evin Prison, Tehran, Iran

Shahla Jahed, the Iranian footballer's wife, was executed on 1 December 2010 in Evin Prison. She was sentenced to death for the alleged murder of her husband's permanent wife. Khadijeh Jahed, known as "Shahla", was hanged at dawn in the courtyard of Evin Prison, Tehran.

The family of her husband's permanent wife did not pardon her and, according to a report by the Iranian Students' News Agency, the victim's brother kicked away the stool from her feet. In Iran, a convicted murderer has no right to seek pardon or commutation from the state. This is in violation of Article 6(4) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a state party. The family of a murder victim has the right either to insist on execution, or to pardon the killer and receive financial compensation (diyeh).

Shahla Jahed's mother lamenting outside
Tehran's Evin prison after her daughter's
execution. Source: Persian2English
Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, Shahla Jahed's lawyer, attended her execution and told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran afterwards: "I just can't believe it. I'm not feeling well. Shahla just kept crying; she didn't say anything. I went forward and told her to talk, but she only cried. The victim's family did not give their consent until the last minute. All the people who were there asked them to forgive her, but unfortunately they didn't accept. Nasser Mohammad-khani was there, too, and said nothing."

Shahla Jahed, who had contracted a temporary marriage with Nasser Mohammad-khani, a former striker for the Iranian national football team and former manager of a team in Tehran, was accused of stabbing to death Laleh Saharkhizan, her husband's permanent wife, on 9 October 2002. Under Iranian law, men and women can marry either permanently or temporarily. In a temporary marriage, men and women can commit to be married for an agreed period of time, on payment of an agreed sum of money to the woman, after which the marriage is null and void. Men can have up to four permanent wives, and any number of temporary wives. Women can only be married to one man at a time.

Shahla Jahed was initially sentenced to death by Branch 1154 of Tehran General Court in June 2004. She had "confessed" to the killing during 11 months of pre-trial detention, but withdrew her "confession" in court, saying, "Everyone knows the conditions under which I confessed," leading to fears her "confession" may have been coerced, a common occurrence in Iran. Nasser Mohammad-khani, abroad at the time of the murder, was himself initially suspected of complicity in the murder and detained for some months, but was later released after Shahla Jahed "confessed" to the murder. She was also sentenced to three years in prison.

Shahla Jahed's sentence was upheld by Branch 15 of the Supreme Court. Shahla Jahed's lawyer requested a review of the execution order and, in November 2005, the then Head of the Judiciary ordered a stay of execution so that the case could be re-examined. The death sentence was upheld in September 2006, but was again overturned in early 2008 and a fresh investigation was ordered. Shahla Jahed was sentenced to death for a second time in February 2009 by Branch 1147 of the General Court. On 13 September 2010, she wrote to the current Head of the Judiciary, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, asking for a final decision in her case. By 6 November 2010 her death sentence had been sent "for implementation". On 16 November 2010, reports said her execution was set for 1 December 2010. On 30 November 2010 her lawyer said he had received official notice that his client was to be executed the next day.

Shahla Jahed spent over eight years in prison. Amnesty International campaigned for Shahla Jahed's death sentence to be overturned from 2005 (see Urgent Action UA 283/05 and updates and UA 243/10, 23 November 2010, http://amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE13/105/2010/en ).

Source: Amnesty International, December 3, 2010

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Pro-DP comments will not be published.

Most viewed (Last 7 days)

Florida executes Michael Tanzi

Florida on Tuesday executed a death row inmate described by one local detective as a "fledgling serial killer" for the murder of a beloved Miami Herald employee. Florida executed Michael Tanzi on Tuesday, 25 years after the murder of beloved Miami Herald employee Janet Acosta, who was attacked in broad daylight on her lunch break in 2000.   Michael Tanzi, 48, was executed by lethal injection at the Florida State Prison in Raiford and pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. ET. 
Post a Comment
Read more

South Carolina | Man who ambushed off-duty cop to face firing squad in second execution of its kind

Mikal Mahdi, 48, who was found guilty of killing an off-duty police officer and a convenience store worker, is the second inmate scheduled to executed by South Carolina's new firing squad A murderer who ambushed and shot an off duty police officer eight times before burning his body in a killing spree is set to become the second person to die by firing squad. South Carolina's highest court has rejected the last major appeal from Mikal Mahdi, 41, who is to be put to death with three bullets to the heart at 6pm on April 11 at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia. Mahdi's lawyers said his original lawyers put on a shallow case trying to spare his life that didn't call on relatives, teachers or people who knew him and ignored the impact of weeks spent in solitary confinement in prison as a teen.
Post a Comment
Read more

Lethal Injection, Electric Chair, or Firing Squad? An Inhumane Decision for Death Row Prisoners

South Carolina resumed executions with the firing squad killing of Brad Sigmon last month. Mikal Madhi’s execution date is days away. The curtain shrieked as it was yanked open to reveal a 67-year-old man tied to a chair. His arms were pulled uncomfortably behind his back. The red bull’s-eye target on his chest rose and fell as he desperately attempted to still his breathing. The man, Brad Sigmon, smiled at his attorney, Bo King, seated in the front row before guards placed a black bag over his head. King said Sigmon appeared to be trying his best to put on a brave face for those who had come to bear witness.
Post a Comment
Read more

Afghanistan | Four men publicly executed by Taliban with relatives of victims shooting them 'six or seven times' at sport stadium

Four men have been publicly executed by the Taliban, with relatives of their victims shooting them several times in front of spectators at a sport stadium. Two men were shot around six to seven times by a male relative of the victims in front of spectators in Qala-i-Naw, the centre of Afghanistan's Badghis province, witnesses told an AFP journalist in the city.  The men had been 'sentenced to retaliatory punishment' for shooting other men, after their cases were 'examined very precisely and repeatedly', the statement said.  'The families of the victims were offered amnesty and peace but they refused.'
Post a Comment
Read more

Louisiana | Lawyers of Jessie Hoffman speak about their final moments before execution

As Louisiana prepared its first execution in 15 years, a team of lawyers from Loyola Law were working to save Jessie Hoffman’s life. “I was a young lawyer three years out of law school, and Jessie was almost finished with his appeals at that time, and my boss told me we needed to file something for Jessie because he’s in danger of being executed,” Kappel said. Kappel and her boss came up with a civil lawsuit to file that said since they wouldn’t give him a protocol for his execution, he was being deprived of due process, and the lawsuit was in the legal process for the next 10 years.
Post a Comment
Read more

South Carolina executes Mikal Mahdi

Mikal Mahdi, 42, was executed for the 2004 murder of 56-year-old James Myers A man facing the death penalty for committing two murders was executed by firing squad on Friday, the second such execution in the US state of South Carolina this year. Mikal Mahdi, 42, was executed for the 2004 murder of 56-year-old James Myers, an off-duty police officer, and the murder of a convenience store employee three days earlier. According to a statement from the prison, "the execution was performed by a three-person firing squad at 6:01 pm (2201 GMT)," with Mahdi pronounced dead four minutes later.
Post a Comment
Read more

USA | Why the firing squad may be making a comeback

South Carolina plans to execute Mikal Mahdi on Friday for the murder of a police officer, draping a hood over his head and firing three bullets into his heart. The choice to die by firing squad – rather than lethal injection or the electric chair – was Mahdi’s own, his attorney said last month: “Faced with barbaric and inhumane choices, Mikal Mahdi has chosen the lesser of three evils.” If it proceeds, Mahdi’s execution would be the latest in a recent string of events that have put the spotlight on the firing squad as a handful of US death penalty states explore alternatives to lethal injection, by far the nation’s dominant execution method.
Post a Comment
Read more

Arizona | The cruelty of isolation: There’s nothing ‘humane’ about how we treat the condemned

On March 19, I served as a witness to the execution of a man named Aaron Gunches, Arizona’s first since 2022. During his time on death row, he begged for death and was ultimately granted what is likely more appropriately described as an emotionless state-assisted suicide. This experience has profoundly impacted me, leading to deep reflection on the nature of death, humanity, and the role we play in our final moments. When someone is in the end stages of life, we talk about hospice care, comfort, care, easing suffering and humane death. We strive for a “good death” — a peaceful transition. I’ve seen good ones, and I’ve seen bad, unplanned ones. 
Post a Comment
Read more

I spent 16 years in solitary in South Carolina. This is what it did to me. | Opinion

South Carolinian Randy Poindexter writes about the effects 16 years of solitary confinement had on him ahead of South Carolina’s planned execution of Mikal Mahdi , who spent months in solitary as a young man. For 16 years, I lived in a concrete cell. Twenty-three hours a day, every day, for more than 3,000 days, South Carolina kept me in solitary confinement. I was a young man before I was sent to solitary — angry, untreated and unwell. I made mistakes. But I wasn’t sentenced to madness. That’s what solitary did to me. My mental health worsened with each passing day. At first, paranoia and depression set in. Then, hallucinations and self-mutilation. I talked to people who weren’t there. I cut myself to feel something besides despair. I could do nothing as four of my friends and fellow prisoners took their own lives rather than endure another day of torturous isolation.
Post a Comment
Read more

'No Warning': The Death Penalty In Japan

Stakes for wrongful convictions are high in Japan, where the death penalty has broad public support despite criticism over how it is carried out. Tokyo: Capital punishment in Japan is under scrutiny again after the world's longest-serving death row prisoner, Iwao Hakamada, was awarded $1.4 million in compensation this week following his acquittal last year in a retrial. Stakes for wrongful convictions are high in Japan, where the death penalty has broad public support despite international criticism over how it is carried out.
Post a Comment
Read more