The regime in Iran has put to death a former child bride who was jailed for allegedly murdering her abusive husband in self-defense, according to a human rights group.
Zeinab Sekaanvand, 24, was executed just two days after she gave birth to a stillborn child fathered by a prison mate she met and married while serving her sentence.
At age 15, Sekaanvand was forced into a marriage with an abusive man whom she ended up allegedly stabbing to death only two years later in 2012 at age 17, according to reports.
He reportedly physically and verbally abused Sekaanvand, according to human rights group Amnesty International and would not grant her a divorce, as is mandatory by Islamic Law, for the husband to grant his wife a divorce.
After confessing under torture, she was jailed at the Urmieh Central Prison in northern Iran for murder and eventually sentenced to death.
Her death sentence, however, was postponed when the 24-year-old became pregnant. Authorities announced that after the baby was born they would carry out her execution.
“She was subjected to a grossly unfair legal process,” according to Amnesty International, who made a plea to the Iranian regime the day before her execution in an effort to delay or commute the sentence.
24-year-old Zeinab was executed in Iran this morning. She was a child when arrested & convicted after an unfair trial. She said male police officers tortured her in detention. We’ll issue a response soon. Pls RT & tell @khamenei_ir @JZarif to stop sentencing children to death! pic.twitter.com/ZmzVHw6TyA
— Amnesty International (@amnesty) October 2, 2018
In an announcement, Amnesty International tweeted: “24-year-old Zeinab was executed in Iran this morning. She was a child when arrested & convicted after an unfair trial. She said male police officers tortured her in detention. We’ll issue a response soon. Pls RT & tell to stop sentencing children to death!”
