Here we are. The seven days “allowed” by the regime have expired. Samira Sabzianfard could be hanged at dawn tomorrow, Wednesday, December 20, in the courtyard of Qarchak Prison, south of Tehran, where the 32-year-old woman is in solitary confinement. The execution of the sentence was scheduled for December 13, but following international pressure, the Iranian authorities decided to postpone the execution for a week.
Ten years ago, Sabzianfard was arrested on suspicion of murder: she is said to have killed her husband, a violent, abusive man from whom she could not escape because women in Iran cannot ask for a separation.
She was 15 years old when she had to get married. As a child bride, she had two children, whom she left very young: one was seven years old, the other only six months old.
During these ten years, Sabzianfard was never able to meet her. A week ago, a few hours before she imagined herself hanging from the arm of the Islamic Republic's crane, her two adult children went to say goodbye to her.
According to the NGO Ihrngo, the young woman was unable to see her children throughout her detention in order to receive forgiveness from her husband's family – the only one who can grant her a pardon under Iranian law. But that wasn't enough and they decided to hang.
Iran holds the world record for executing women. Last year, marked by protests following the assassination of Mahsa Amini, 702 people were hanged, almost a hundred more than the previous year. In November 79.
The legal marriage age for girls is 13, but if their father or paternal grandfather approves, they can marry even earlier. There are stories about girls who were married at 9 years old. In families as in society, everything is in favor of the man. When an abused woman calls for help, the police cannot enter the house. The judges must “return” the abused woman to her violent husband.