URGENT APPEAL for Khadijeh (Shahla) Jahed at risk of imminent execution in Iran for the alleged murder of her husband's permanent wife

Khadijeh Jahed

Iranian media reported that a footballer's wife, Khadijeh Jahed, may be executed on 1 December. She is sentenced to death for the alleged murder of her husband's permanent wife.

Khadijeh Jahed, known as "Shahla", who had contracted a temporary marriage with Nasser Mohammad-Khani, a former striker for the Iranian national football team, was convicted of stabbing to death her husband's permanent wife. According to a 6 November 2010 report by Fars news agency, an unnamed judiciary official said that her death sentence has been sent to the Office for the Implementation of Sentences in Tehran. A 16 November 2010 report in the newspaper Vatan-e Emrooz said her execution has been set for 1 December 2010 if she is not pardoned by the victim's family. Her lawyer, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, has told the Iranian Students' News Agency that he has not yet been notified of the date for her execution, which in law must be communicated at least 48 hours beforehand.

Shahla Jahed was initially sentenced to death by Branch 1154 of Tehran General Court in June 2004. She withdrew her "confession" of murder in court. Her sentence was upheld by Branch 15 of the Supreme Court. Shahla Jahed's lawyer requested a review of the execution order in view of the fact that Shahla Jahed's case had not been properly investigated. In November 2005, the then Head of the Judiciary ordered a stay of execution so that the case could be re-examined. However, the death sentence was upheld in September 2006. In early 2008, the Head of the Judiciary in Iran overturned the verdict and ordered a fresh investigation, citing "procedural flaws". However, Shahla Jahed was again sentenced to death in February 2009 by Branch 1147 of the General Court. On 13 September 2010, Shahla Jahed wrote to the current Head of the Judiciary, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, asking for a final decision in her case. According to Fars, he has signed the order for her

execution to go ahead.

In Iran, a convicted murderer has no right to seek pardon or commutation from the state, 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).

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

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. She "confessed" to the killing in pre-trial detention after 11 months in detention, but withdrew her "confession" in court, saying, "Everyone knows the conditions under which I confessed." She was also sentenced to three years' imprisonment, but has now spent over nine years in prison. 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.

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.

Amnesty International has long expressed concern that torture and other ill-treatment are common in Iran, particularly during interrogation and before they have been charged, when defendants are routinely denied access to defence lawyers. Such "confessions" are often used as the main evidence against defendants.

Amnesty International recognizes the rights and responsibilities of governments to bring to justice those suspected of criminal offenses, but opposes the death penalty in all cases as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, in violation Iran's obligations under international law.

Amnesty International has been campaigning for Shahla Jahed's death sentence to be overturned since 2005 (see Urgent Action UA 283/05 and updates).

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:

- Urging that Shahla Jahed's execution be halted immediately and that her death sentence is overturned;

- Expressing concern that she may have been coerced into making a "confession" during her interrogation;

- Acknowledging that governments have a responsibility to bring to justice those suspected of criminal offenses; but stating your unconditional opposition to the death penalty, as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and violation of the right to life.

APPEALS TO:

Head of the Judiciary

Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani

[care of] Public relations Office

Number 4, 2 Azizi Street

Vali Asr Ave., above Pasteur Street intersection

Tehran,

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

Email: Via website: http://www.bia-judiciary.ir/tabid/62/Default.aspx;

2nd box (starred)=first name,3rd box(starred)=family name,5th box (starred)=email address, last box=substance of message

Salutation: Your Excellency

Head of the Judiciary in Tehran

Mr Ali Reza Avaei

Corner of 17th Alley, No 149

Sana'i Avenue, Karimkhan Bridge

Tehran,

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

Email: avaei@Dadgostary-tehran.ir

Salutation: Dear Mr Avaei

COPIES TO:

Director, Human Rights Headquarters of Iran

Mohammad Javad Larijani

Bureau of International Affairs,

Office of the Head of the Judiciary,

Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave. south of Serah-e Jomhouri,

Tehran 1316814737,

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

Fax: 011 98 21 5 537 8827 (please keep trying)

Email: info@humanrights-iran.ir

Iran does not presently have an embassy in the United States. Instead, please send copies to:

Iranian Interests Section

2209 Wisconsin Ave NW

Washington DC 20007

Phone: 202 965 4990

Fax: 202 965 1073

Email: requests@daftar.org

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.

Update on Shahla Jahed's execution here.

Comments

Saudi Arabia executed 356 people in 2025, highest number on record

Analysts attribute increase to kingdom’s ‘war on drugs’ as authorities kill 356 people by death penalty Saudi authorities executed 356 people in 2025, setting a new record for the number of inmates put to death in the kingdom in a single year. Analysts have largely attributed the increase in executions to Riyadh’s “war on drugs”, with some of those arrested in previous years only now being executed after legal proceedings and convictions. Official data released by the Saudi government said 243 people were executed in drug-related cases in 2025 alone, according to a tally kept by Agence France-Presse.

The US reporter who has witnessed 14 executions: ‘People need to know what it looks like’

South Carolina-based journalist Jeffrey Collins observed back-to-back executions in 2025 after the state revived the death penalty following a 13-year pause Jeffrey Collins has watched 14 men draw their final breaths. Over 25 years at the Associated Press, the South Carolina-based journalist has repeatedly served as an observer inside the state’s execution chamber, watching from feet away as prison officials kill men who were sentenced to capital punishment. South Carolina has recently kept him unusually busy, with seven back-to-back executions in 14 months.

Oklahoma board recommends clemency for inmate set to be executed next week

A voting board in Oklahoma decided Wednesday to recommend clemency for Tremane Wood, a death row inmate who is scheduled to receive a lethal injection next week at the state penitentiary in McAlester. Wood, 46, faces execution for his conviction in the 2001 murder of Ronnie Wipf, a migrant farmworker, at an Oklahoma City hotel on New Year's Eve, court records show. The recommendation was decided in a 3-2 vote by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, consisting of five members appointed by either the governor or the state's top judicial official, according to CBS News affiliate KWTV. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Sitt will consider the recommendation as he weighs whether to grant or deny Wood's clemency request, which would mean sparing him from execution and reducing his sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Georgia parole board suspends scheduled execution of Cobb County death row prisoner

The execution of a Georgia man scheduled for Wednesday has been suspended as the State Board of Pardons and Paroles considers a clemency application. Stacey Humphreys, 52, would have been the state's first execution in 2025. As of December 16, 2025, Georgia has carried out zero executions in 2025. The state last executed an inmate in January 2020, followed by a pause due to COVID-19. Executions resumed in 2024, but none have occurred this year until now. Humphreys had been sentenced to death for the 2003 killings of 33-year-old Cyndi Williams and 21-year-old Lori Brown, who were fatally shot at the real estate office where they worked.

M Ravi, the man who defied Singapore regime's harassment, dies

M Ravi never gave up despite the odds stacked against him by the Singapore regime, which has always used its grip on the legal process to silence critics. M Ravi, one of Singapore's best-known personalities who was at the forefront of legal cases challenging the PAP regime over human rights violations, has died. He was 56. The news has come as a shock to friends and activists. Singapore's The Straits Times reported that police were investigating the "unnatural death".

Iran | Executions in Shiraz, Borazjan, Ahvaz, Isfahan, Ardabil, Rasht, Ghaemshahr, Neishabur

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 23, 2025: Mahin Rashidi, Abbas Alami, Naser Faraji, Tohid Barzegar and Jamshid Amirfazli, five co-defendants on death row for drug-related offences, were secretly executed in a group hanging in Shiraz Central Prison. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, four men and a woman were hanged in Shiraz (Adel Abad) Central Prison on 17 December 2025. Their identities have been established as Mahin Rashidi, a 39-year-old woman, Abbas Alami, 43, Naser Faraji, 38, Tohid Barzegar, 51, and Jamshid Amirfazli, 45, all Kashan natives.

USA | Justice Department Encourages New Capital Charges Against Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners

On Dec. 23, 2024, former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. commuted the sentences of nearly all federal death row prisoners, sparing 37 men from execution. Just 28 days later, on Jan. 20, 2025, newly inaugurated President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order encouraging state and local prosecutors to pursue new charges against those same prisoners, reopening the possibility of capital punishment in state courts.

Burkina Faso to bring back death penalty

Burkina Faso's military rulers will bring back the death penalty, which was abolished in 2018, the country's Council of Ministers announced on Thursday. "This draft penal code reinstates the death penalty for a number of offences, including high treason, acts of terrorism, acts of espionage, among others," stated the information service of the Burkinabe government. Burkina Faso last carried out an execution in 1988.

California | Convicted killer Scott Peterson keeps swinging in court — but expert says he’s not going anywhere but his cell

More than two decades after Laci Peterson vanished from her Modesto, California, home, the murder case that captivated the nation continues to draw legal challenges, public debate and renewed attention. As the year comes to a close, Scott Peterson, convicted in 2004 of murdering his pregnant wife and their unborn son Conner, remains behind bars, serving life without the possibility of parole. His wife disappeared on Christmas Eve in 2002, and a few months later, the remains of Laci and Conner were found in the San Francisco Bay.

Singapore | Prolific lawyer M Ravi, known for drug death-penalty cases, found dead

Ravi Madasamy, a high-profile lawyer who represented death-row inmates and campaigned against capital punishment, was found dead in the early hours, prompting a police investigation into an unnatural death KUALA LUMPUR — Prolific Singapore lawyer Ravi Madasamy who tried to save Malaysian drug traffickers from the gallows found dead in the early hours with police investigating a case of unnatural death. Lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam, who had previously represented 56-year-old Ravi in court and described him as a friend, said he was deeply saddened by the news.

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog