A former child bride allegedly involved in the killing of her abusive husband faces execution in Iran unless she can raise about $100,000 in "blood money" by December. Goli Kouhkan, a 25-year-old member of the marginalized Baluch minority, has spent seven years on death row in Gorgan central prison after being convicted of killing her husband when she was 18, reports the Guardian. Kouhkan, who was forced to marry her cousin at 12 and nearly died during childbirth at 13, reportedly endured years of physical and emotional abuse, per IranWire. On the day of the killing, she says she found her husband beating their 5-year-old son.
Kouhkan called a cousin for help, and a struggle ensued that left her husband dead. Both she and the cousin were arrested. Human rights groups say Kouhkan was interrogated without a lawyer present and signed a written confession despite being illiterate. She was initially sentenced to death by hanging, but Iranian law allows the victim's family to pardon a convicted killer in exchange for financial compensation. Officials negotiated Kouhkan's freedom in exchange for her leaving the city and paying 10 billion tomans to her husband's family, per the Guardian. However, with no identity documents and limited resources, Kouhkan is unlikely to meet the demand by next month's deadline.
Funds are being raised through the #SaviGoli social media campaign, reports the Jerusalem Post. But even if Kouhkan does come up with the payment, she will likely be barred from contacting her son, who is now being raised by his father's parents. Activists say stories like Kouhkan's highlight systemic discrimination against women, minorities, and the poor in Iran, where child marriage is legal and protections against domestic violence are minimal. Iran reportedly executes more women than any other country, with at least 31 women put to death in 2024 and another 30 so far this year. Cases similar to Kouhkan's have ended in execution in the past, despite claims of abuse and unfair trials.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
