Muslim child bride married off at 15 to be executed in Iran for killing abusive husband

10 Oct, 2016 by Sierra Marlee

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Zeinab Sokian was married off to a Muslim man when she was just 15 years-old. She was sentenced to the death penalty after she murdered her allegedly abusive husband in 2012, when she was 17.

She told the Court that her husband would beat her, but the court dismissed her claims.

Iran is extremely strict on their penalty for intentional murder which is always death.

They do, however, have a law that prohibits the carrying out of the death penalty on pregnant women, which is why Sokian was spared for so long. She did become pregnant while she was in jail after marrying another prisoner, meaning her sentence was pushed back.

Unfortunately, she gave birth to a stillborn child and the execution was back on.

The Human’s Rights Watch is demanding that Sokian be allowed another trial, however, because after she was sentenced, Iran passed a law which gives judges the discretion to refuse to issue the death penalty to children if they are unable to understand the nature and gravity of the crime they committed.

Because of this change, it is being asked that all pre-2013 children sentenced to death be given a second trial where they could potentially be spared from death. This includes Sokian.

‘The 2013 reforms aimed to prevent wrongful conviction of children for capital offenses. If the Iranian government is serious about this goal, it should at a minimum grant everyone facing the death penalty for alleged offenses committed as children a new trial that conforms to international human rights standards.’

Do you think she should be punished for ridding herself of an abusive husband as a teen? Or should she be allowed to walk free?

Sierra Marlee

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