Iran Executes Child Marriage Victim For Spouse Killing

Iranian authorities have executed Samira Sabzian-Fard, a victim of child marriage who was convicted of murdering her husband.

Sabzian-Fard, married at the age of 15, faced the implementation of her death sentence for killing her husband four years after their marriage in 2013, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR).

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the Director of IHR, branded her execution as a “stark reflection of an inefficient and corrupt government resorting to violence and intimidation to sustain itself.” The IHR has called on the international community to hold Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials of the Islamic Republic accountable for such actions.

Sabzian-Fard's story is emblematic of women in Iran who, at a young age, are forced into marriage and subsequently become victims of marital issues. The latest report from the Iranian Statistical Center reveals a distressing statistic: at least 27,448 girls under the age of 15 in Iran married in 2022 alone.

Simultaneously, there has been an intensification of policies encouraging marriage in the country, as emphasized by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In recent years, targeted efforts have been made to reduce the age of marriage for girls and encourage families to facilitate the marriage of their daughters. One in five marriages involves minors, girls allowed to marry as young as 13. 

The regime's efforts have been championed by some members of the parliament, government officials, and various cultural and educational institutions.

Iran is the world's leading executor of women, with a minimum of 16 reported executions in 2022 and a total of at least 17 women executed in the country so far this year. This grim reality is exacerbated by Iranian laws that prevent women from seeking divorce, even in cases of domestic violence.