23rd Woman Executed in Iran in 2024

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); November 29, 2024: Fariba Maleki Shahivand, a woman on death row for murder, was executed in Khorramabad Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a woman was executed in Khorramabad (Parsilion) Central Prison on 24 November. Her identity has been established as Fariba Maleki Shahivand, a mother to a five-year-old girl.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Fariba was accused of unintentionally killing her sister-in-law and mother-in-law during an altercation four years ago, when her daughter was just one year old.”

She was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.

At the time of writing, her execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Iran is the biggest executioner of women. In 2023, at least 22 women were executed for drug-related, murder and security-related charges in Iran. Fariba Maleki Shahivand is the 23rd woman to be executed in 2024.

Those charged with the umbrella term of “intentional murder” are sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) regardless of intent or circumstances due to a lack of grading in law. Once a defendant has been convicted, the victim’s family are required to choose between death as retribution, diya (blood money) or forgiveness. Crucially, while an indicative amount is set by the Judiciary every year, there is no legal limit to how much can be demanded by families of the victims. IHRNGO has recorded many cases where defendants are executed because they cannot afford to pay the blood money.

In 2023, at least 282 people including two juvenile offenders and 15 women, were executed for murder charges, the second highest number of qisas executions since 2010. Only 20% of the recorded qisas executions were announced by official sources. In 2023, Iran Human Rights also recorded 857 cases of families choosing diya or forgiveness instead of qisas executions.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, November 29, 2024

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