Iran Human Rights (IHR); March 15, 2021: Maryam (Massoumeh) Karimi who had been sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for the murder of her husband, has been executed in Rasht Central Prison after the victim’s “next of kin” refused to forgive her or accept diya (blood money) instead of retribution. According to informed sources, as next of kin, “her daughter carried out the execution of her mother.”
Iran Human Rights condemns the execution and calls for the cruel and inhuman retribution sentences to be repealed. IHR Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “The Islamic Republic laws make a girl whose father was murdered when she was a child, the executioner of her own mother. The Islamic Republic is the leading promoter of violence in Iranian society today.”
According to Iran Human Rights (IHR), a woman sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder, was executed in Rasht Central Prison in the early hours of March 13. Her identity has been established as Maryam (Massoumeh) Karimi.
Maryam Karimi was accused of killing her husband with her father, Ebrahimi Karimi. On February 22, IHR reported that they had been transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for their executions after having a last visit together. The execution was delayed for unknown reasons at the time until only Maryam’s sentence was carried out today.
Informed sources previously told IHR: “They had killed her husband who was abusive, physically violent and wouldn’t consent to a divorce. The father who had no other way of saving his daughter, helped her in killing him.”
“After carrying out Maryam’s execution, they brought her father, Ebrahim Karimi to see her daughter’s dead corpse hanging on the noose. But for unknown reasons, they didn’t execute him and he’s due to be returned to the general ward in the next two days,” informed sources have now told IHR.
According to the sources, “Maryam’s daughter was 6 years old when the murder took place and has been in the care of her father’s family. For the past 13 years, they had told her that both her parents were dead, but had to tell her the truth a few weeks prior to the execution to prepare her psychologically.”
In murder cases where the defendant is sentenced to qisas, the victim’s ‘next of kin’ or their representative, must be present at the scene of execution. Since Iranian law considers qisas as the right of the plaintiff, family members of the murder victim are encouraged to carry out the actual execution themselves.
In addition to calling the death penalty inhumane, Iran Human Rights has previously called for the repeal of the inhumane law of qisas (retribution) as placing the responsibility of the execution on the plaintiff’s shoulder fosters further violence and cruelty.
There is also no legal distinction made between murder and manslaughter, whether voluntary or involuntary in Iran, so those charged under the umbrella term of “premeditated murder” will receive the death penalty regardless of intent and the circumstances.
At the time of writing, Maryam Karimi’s execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.