The United Nations has pleaded with Iran to halt the execution of 25‑year‑old Goli Kouhkan, who was forced into marriage at 12 and now faces death for her husband’s murder.
UN Appeals to Iran
On Tuesday, December 2, United Nations human rights experts urged Iran to suspend the execution of 25‑year‑old Goli Kouhkan. The girl was coerced into marrying her cousin at age 12, gave birth without medical care at 13, and endured physical and psychological abuse. Her brother‑in‑law beat her and their five‑year‑old son in May 2018, leading to a confrontation that ended with the assailant’s death.
Goli Kouhkan Under Fire of Questions
She was interrogated over her husband’s death but reportedly had no access to legal assistance and was allegedly pressured psychologically to accept full responsibility. Her status as an illegal immigrant from the Baluch ethnic group deprived her of legal protection, education, and state services. Human rights experts described her as a woman sold into marriage, abused for years, then abandoned by family and the justice system.
Unreal Settlement Conditions
The husband’s family demanded a settlement of 10 billion tomans (about $90,000), far exceeding Kouhkan’s means. The UN warned that the execution risked not justice but the inability to pay life costs, noting that the Iranian court ignored key circumstances of the death.
Gender‑Based Justice in Iran
From 2010 to 2024, at least 241 women were executed in Iran, 114 for murder. Most were killed by their spouses or partners and many were victims of domestic violence, child molestation, or self‑defence, according to experts.
