A 24-year-old woman and victim of forced marriage has been executed in Tabriz Central Prison. Hanifeh Avandi, a 24-year-old Turk woman from Tabriz, was executed on Sunday, April 19, at the city’s central prison.
Hanifeh Avandi had been forced into marriage at the age of 17 under pressure from her family. Her husband was reportedly disabled. She was accused of killing him five years ago, after approximately eleven months of marriage.
During her imprisonment, Avandi was said to suffer from severe psychological distress and remained under medical supervision.
At the time of writing, her execution has not officially announced by state media or by news agencies affiliated with the regime’s judiciary.
With the execution of Hanifeh Avandi in the Central Prison of Tabriz, the number of women executed in the 2026 calendar year has risen to eleven.
Iran, the world record holder in executing women
According to data recorded by the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, at least 339 women have been executed in Iran since 2007.
Many of the women executed by the Iranian regime are themselves victims of domestic violence and discriminatory family laws. A significant number have acted in self-defense.
Since Masoud Pezeshkian took office, the clerical regime has executed more than 3,654 prisoners, including 99 women.
In 2025 alone, more than 2,201 executions were recorded in Iran, more than double the number carried out in 2024 (1,006).
It is noteworthy that, since the beginning of 2026, at least 682 people have been executed in Iran.
The Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran calls on the United Nations and relevant agencies, the European Union and its member states, as well as all human rights defenders, to take immediate action to halt the rampant executions in Iran.
