by Yesim Usluca
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
TEHRAN, Iran — A 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman, Zeinab Sekaanvand, is set to be executed within days after an “unfair” trial for murdering her husband.
Ms. Sekaanvand was 17-years-old when she was arrested for the murder of her husband. She testified that she was held at the police station for 20 days while being repeatedly tortured by police officers. Amnesty International stated that during this time, Ms. Sekaanvand was denied access to a lawyer. She allegedly “confessed” to these officers that she stabbed her husband after he subjected her to months of physical and verbal abuse and repeatedly refused her requests for divorce.
Before her trial, Ms. Sekaanvand retracted her confession. She told the judge that her brother-in-law, whom she stated raped her several times, had killed her husband. She indicated that he had promised to pardon her if she confessed to killing her husband. Under Islamic law, a murder victim’s family can pardon the offender and accept financial compensation.
In a trial characterized as “grossly unfair” by Amnesty International, the court ignored Ms. Sekaanvand’s statement regarding her brother-in-law’s involvement in the murder. In reaching its verdict, the court relied heavily on “confessions” she had made without a lawyer present. Iranian law enables judges to spare the death penalty for individuals under 18 who do not understand the nature of their offense. Although Ms. Sekaanvand was found to be suffering from depression, characterized by insomnia and difficulty in making decisions, the option of sparing her from the death penalty was not considered. The court failed to apply juvenile sentencing guidelines which require a forensic report to assess “mental growth and maturity” at the time of the crime. The court further failed to inform Ms. Sekaanvand that she could submit an application for retrial. She was sentenced to death in October 2014.
In 2015, Ms. Sekaanvand married a fellow inmate at the prison in which she is awaiting her execution, and became pregnant shortly thereafter. Due to the Iranian law prohibiting the execution of pregnant women, her death penalty was pushed back until after she gave birth. She gave birth to a stillborn baby at the end of September.
The case has received international attention from human rights groups. Human Rights Watch declared that Iran is required to prohibit the execution of minors because it is a party to the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. Amnesty International has stated that the case is “extremely disturbing.” It states that Ms. Sekaanvand was “under 18 years of age at the time of the crime” and “denied access to a lawyer” during her entire pre-trial period. Amnesty International further noted that Ms. Sekaanvand “was tortured by male police officers after her arrest through beatings all over her body.” Amnesty International is calling for the Iranian government to “grant her a fair retrial without recourse to the death penalty, and in accordance with principles of juvenile justice.”
For more information, please see:
BBC News—Iran hanging: Fears for child bride Zeinab Sekaanvand—11 October 2016
The Guardian—Amnesty seeks mercy for Iranian bride, 17, who killed abusive husband—11 October 2016
New York Post—Child bride faces execution for killing her husband—11 October 2016
