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

Related coverage: "Iranian Regime Commits Another Murder, Former Case Detective Speaks Out on Shahla Jahed", Persian2English, December 2, 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