Execution of Samira Sabzianfard: Victim of Child Marriage Faces Death Penalty

Hengaw: Wednesday, December 20, 2023

The death sentence of Samira Sabzianfard, a 30-year-old inmate at Qarchak Varamin prison, arrested a decade ago for "premeditated murder," has been carried out. Samira, a victim of child marriage, was forced into wedlock before turning 18.

According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, the execution took place in Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj. Samira, originally from Khorramabad, Lorestan province, was the mother of two children and was arrested at the age of 19 in December 2014 for her involvement in her husband's murder, alongside two others, including her 14-year-old sister. The latter was released after a ransom payment of 150 million tomans.

Samira Sabzianfard was placed back in solitary confinement on Wednesday, December 13. Earlier, on Monday, December 11, she had been briefly transferred to the solitary cell and was subsequently returned to the general prison the following evening.

Notably, there has been no official announcement regarding Samira Sabzianfard's execution in government media, particularly outlets affiliated with the judiciary, as of the time of this report.

From the beginning of 2023 to the present, a tally of at least 18 female prisoners have faced execution in Iranian prisons, based on data compiled by the Statistics and Documentation Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.