Iran executes Esma Zarei in Ardabil Prison after she gave birth in custody

Hengaw – Saturday, May 23, 2026

Iranian authorities have executed Esma Zarei, a 28-year-old Turkish woman from Parsabad in Ardabil Province, who had previously been sentenced to death on charges of “premeditated murder” in connection with the killing of her husband. She is the sixth woman executed in Iran since the beginning of 2026.

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Zarei was executed at dawn on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in Ardabil Central Prison. She had been sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) after being convicted of her husband’s murder. During her imprisonment, she gave birth to her child inside the prison.

Informed sources told Hengaw that Esma Zarei was arrested approximately three years ago after being accused of killing her husband by administering pills. She was later sentenced to death by the Iranian judiciary.

Sources added that she was pregnant at the time of her arrest, and her child was born while she was in custody. The child is now two years old.

Based on data recorded by Hengaw’s Statistics and Documentation Center, at least six women have been executed in prisons across Iran during the first five months of 2026 on charges including premeditated murder and drug-related offenses.

Iranian state media and judiciary-affiliated outlets have not announced or publicly confirmed the execution of Esma Zarei.