Iran executes 23-year-old woman who claims to have killed man in self-defense

A 23-year-old woman was executed in Iran after being convicted of killing a man in self-defense during an alleged sexual assault. The execution took place early Saturday morning at the central prison in Kazvin, according to reports. The woman, identified as Marzieh Nieri, had claimed she used a kitchen knife to defend herself against an intoxicated business associate of her husband who attempted to sexually assault her. In the struggle, both the attacker and her husband were killed. Nieri turned herself in to police four days later after finding shelter with her brother. Nieri was married at just 17 years old under pressure from her family, according to the Iran Human Rights organization. The incident leading to her conviction occurred in October 2021 when she was 18. During her trial, she stated that one of her husband’s business partners, drunk at the time, tried to assault her. She defended herself with a kitchen knife, resulting in the death of both the attacker and her husband. Her family members of the victims requested qisas, a form of retributive justice based on the principle of "eye for an eye", leading to her death sentence. This execution comes amid a sharp increase in the number of women being put to death in Iran. According to the U.S. Department of State, at least 61 women were executed in Iran in 2025, marking the highest number in the past 25 years and representing a 70 percent increase compared to the previous year. Iran leads all other countries in the number of executions carried out against women. Killing a spouse or fiancé is one of the most common reasons women face the death penalty in Iran. The Iran Human Rights organization noted that at least 21 women were executed last year for qisas related to the murder of spouses or fiancés. Women's rights groups warn that many of these women have suffered years of domestic abuse. They highlight issues such as forced marriages at a young age, economic dependence, difficulties in obtaining divorces, and weak legal protections, which leave women few options to escape abusive relationships. The qisas system allows families of victims to demand the execution of the perpetrator or accept financial compensation known as diyya. Iranian courts can carry out the death penalty in such cases only with the explicit consent of the victim's closest relatives. On the same day, the judiciary in Mazandaran province announced that Kolthoum Akbari had been sentenced to ten death penalties under the qisas principle for ten murders. The case against her was opened in September 2023 following the suspicious death of an 82-year-old man in Mahmoudabad. The man died shortly after entering into a temporary marriage with Akbari. An investigation triggered by the family of the deceased uncovered several similar cases. After her arrest, Akbari admitted to killing multiple elderly men, most of whom she lured into temporary marriages. Authorities confiscated all her movable and immovable property. The family of the eleventh victim, for whose murder Akbari was also found guilty, did not seek the death penalty but opted for financial compensation. Investigators believe the total number of her victims is likely higher than 11. Iran continues to widely implement the death penalty, making it one of the few countries globally still doing so. Human rights organizations recorded at least 1,639 executions in Iran in 2025, the highest annual figure since 1989, averaging more than four executions per day. Amnesty International notes that only 17 countries carried out death penalties that year, with Iran ranking second, just behind China. Activists warn that the number of executions continues to rise in 2026, citing protests across the country in December 2025 and ongoing conflicts as contributing factors.