Urgent International Appeal
United Nations human rights experts are urgently calling on Iran to stop the planned execution of 25 year old Goli Kouhkan, a woman sentenced to death for killing her abusive husband after years of violence. The appeal, reported by Times of Israel on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, has intensified global scrutiny of Iran’s treatment of women, particularly those pushed into child marriage.
In a strongly worded joint statement, eight independent UN experts warned that executing Kouhkan would amount to a grave violation of international human rights law. They emphasized that her case highlights systemic gender bias within Iran’s criminal justice system and a long standing failure to protect women subjected to early marriage and domestic abuse.
A Childhood Cut Short by Forced Marriage
Kouhkan’s ordeal began when she was forced to marry her cousin at just 12 years old, a practice still prevalent in some regions of Iran despite growing international pressure to end child marriages. She gave birth to her son a year later at home without medical support, a detail experts say reflects the deep neglect and lack of access to essential health services experienced by women in marginalized communities.
As an undocumented Baluch woman, Kouhkan lived at the intersection of multiple vulnerabilities. She worked as a farm laborer from an early age, earning meagre wages while enduring continuous physical and psychological abuse from her husband. The UN experts stressed that her ethnic background and undocumented status made her even more susceptible to violence and legal discrimination.
The Incident That Sparked a Legal Nightmare
The turning point came in May 2018 when Kouhkan was 18 years old. According to reports, her husband launched a violent attack against her and their five year old son. Desperate, she called a relative for help. A confrontation followed, and her husband died during the struggle.
Instead of being treated as a survivor acting in self defense, Kouhkan was swiftly arrested. The UN experts say she had no legal representation, was illiterate, and was coerced into taking full responsibility for the death. Human rights advocates argue that these factors invalidate the fairness of her trial and sentencing.
Controversial Blood Money Demand
Under Iran’s interpretation of sharia law, families of murder victims can choose to forgive the offender in exchange for financial compensation known as diya or blood money.
In Kouhkan’s case, the victim’s family is demanding the equivalent of 90,000 dollars. The UN statement notes that this amount is considerably higher than the recommended standard and far beyond her reach, effectively making the execution inevitable unless public pressure leads to government intervention.
A Pattern of Gender Based Punishment
Human rights organizations have long documented Iran’s alarming execution statistics involving women. Between 2010 and 2024, at least 241 women were executed, and nearly half were convicted of killing husbands or intimate partners. Many of these cases involved women defending themselves after prolonged abuse.
According to the UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women, Iran’s judiciary consistently fails to consider mitigating factors such as self defense, trauma, or the cumulative impact of long term violence. Experts argue that without reforms, women like Kouhkan will continue to face death sentences for acts tied to their survival.
Growing Pressure for Reform
International advocacy groups and rights defenders are urging Iran to suspend the execution and reopen the case with full legal support, proper representation, and consideration of her history of abuse. They also call for major reforms to protect survivors of domestic violence and eradicate child marriage practices that put girls in life threatening situations.
Kouhkan’s case has now become a global symbol of the urgent need for legal and social protection for women in Iran. As the execution date approaches, pressure is mounting on Iranian authorities to act.
Will Iran reconsider its stance amid mounting global pressure, or will this become another tragic example of the system failing the very women it should protect?
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