On the morning of Tuesday, October 1, 2024, a young woman was executed in Ahar Prison, East Azerbaijan Province. Akhtar Ghorbanlou, a victim of child marriage, had been arrested on murder charges and sentenced to death.
At the age of 17, Akhtar was forcibly married to a man 18 years her senior, arranged by her family. Reportedly, Akhtar’s father compelled her to marry the victim due to his wealth. She was accused of killing her husband by giving him lethal pills.
As of the time this report was prepared, Iranian media and official sources had not yet announced Akhtar Ghorbanlou’s execution.
22 Women Executed in 2024
According to statistics compiled by the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, with the execution of Akhtar Qorbanlou in Ahar Prison, at least 251 women have been executed in Iran since 2007.
The number of women executed in Iran since the beginning of 2024 amounts to 22. Eleven of these executions were carried out during Masoud Pezeshkian’s term. The total number of executions in Iran in 2024 has reached 559, so far.
The average number of women executed each year was 15, but this figure rose to 21 during Raisi’s presidency. This year, with still three months remaining from the year, the number of women executed has reached 22.
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.
