Samira Sabzian, a victim of Iran’s harsh judicial system, was executed at dawn in Ghezel Hesar prison, located in Karaj near Tehran, as reported by the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) group.
Her death adds to the alarming rise in executions in Iran, where hundreds, including over a dozen women, have been hanged this year for charges like drugs and murder.
Sabzian was no ordinary prisoner. She was a child bride, forced into marriage at 15 and subjected to years of domestic abuse, according to her relatives. Arrested at 19 for allegedly murdering her abusive husband, she spent the next decade awaiting her grim fate. She was executed without any acknowledgment of the torment she endured throughout her life.
Amnesty International condemned the execution, describing it as a “chilling” act. They highlighted her tragic life as a mother of two who was coerced into a life of violence and subjugation from a young age. The UN Human Rights Office echoed this sentiment, urging Iran to halt executions and address the systematic oppression of women and girls.
Sabzian’s story is not unique in Iran’s brutal justice system. According to IHR, 18 women have been executed this year alone, many of them victims of child marriage and domestic violence.
This practice, grounded in Iran’s sharia-based “qesas” laws, fails to consider abuse or mitigating circumstances, making victims of violence like Samira into criminals in the eyes of the state.
Her children, whom she had not seen for a decade, were allowed one final meeting before her execution. Their mother was taken from them in the same way she had been robbed of her freedom and dignity all her life.
This isn’t justice—it’s institutionalized cruelty. Sabzian’s death is a stark reminder of the horrors perpetuated under oppressive regimes that disregard human rights, especially those of women.
Iran’s escalating execution spree has turned its justice system into a killing machine, instilling fear and crushing dissent. Over 115 people were executed in November alone. If this trajectory continues, 2023 will surpass last year’s grim total of 582 executions.
Samira’s story isn’t just about a single life lost; it reflects a pattern of systemic violence. Her death, silenced within Iran, screams for global attention. It’s time for the world to hold regimes accountable for crimes not only against individuals but against humanity itself.
The horrors of humanity lie not just in individual acts but in systems that normalize and perpetuate injustice. Samira Sabzian’s life and death are a haunting testament to this reality.
