A 19-year-old woman named Marjan Hajizadeh was executed on Thursday, April 11, 2024, in the Central Prison of Zanjan, Iran.
Marjan Hajizadeh and her husband, Esmail Hassaniani, 29, had been sentenced to death on drug related charges. They were arrested and imprisoned three years ago.
Marjan Hajizadeh was only 16 years and 4 months old at the time of arrest and detention.
Marjan and Esmail were arrested on a motorway in Zanjan. Marjan didn’t know her husband was carrying drugs, and she was innocent.
The execution of this young couple has not yet been announced by the official authorities at the time of publishing this news.
Marjan Hajizadeh is the 233rd woman to be executed in Iran since 2007, according to the data gathered by the NCRI Women’s Committee. She is the 4th woman executed in Iran in 2024.
Record holder of executions of women
The Iranian regime is the world’s top record holder of executions of women.
No government in the world has executed so many women. The list does not account for the tens of thousands of women executed in Iran on political grounds.
The NCRI Women’s Committee previously mentioned that many of the women executed by the mullahs’ regime are themselves victims of domestic violence against women and have acted in self-defense.
An average of 15 women were executed every year under the former government in Iran.
However, 26 women were executed under Raisi government in 2023, which is 11 more than the previous average.
The NCRI Women’s Committee calls on the United Nations, the European Union, and other relevant international organizations to take urgent action to save the lives of those on death row and stop the use of death penalty in Iran.
