translated from Spanish: The young Kurdish woman was executed for killing her rapist husband

the Iranian Kurdish girl sentenced to death after having admitted that he murdered his spouse to stabbing after receiving “physical and verbal abuse” for years, was executed in one Iran prison.

Zeinab Sekaanvand, aged 24, was held there from February 2012, after “confessing” that he had stabbed his spouse, Hosein Sarmadi, as a result of the continuous “abuses physical and verbal” to which he subjected it.

Two years after she was sentenced to death, despite the fact that his confession was obtained under torture by police men who interrogated her without a lawyer present. 

After the terrible news of the execution, Philip Luther, director of research and advocacy work of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa, said: “the execution of Zeinab Sekaanvand is a foul-smelling demonstration of the lack of” consideration of the Iranian authorities towards the principles of juvenile justice and the international law of human rights. Zeinab was only 17 years old when she was arrested. His execution is deeply unfair and shows contempt for the Iranian authorities for the right to life of minors of age. The fact that was sentenced to death in a trial manifestly unjust makes its execution even more outrageous”.

“Zeinab Sekaanvand said that, shortly after getting married at age 15, asked for help many times to authorities in connection with the violent conduct of their spouse and reported that his brother-in-law had violated it repeatedly. However, instead of investigating these allegations, the authorities systematically ignored them and did not provide you any assistance as victims of family and sexual violence”, added.

The execution of this young woman constitutes a breach of the obligations of Iran under the International Covenant on Civil and political rights and the Convention on the rights of the child and the girl child, treaties ratified by that country that prohibit strictly the imposition of the death penalty to persons under the age of 18 years at the time of the crime.

On 1 October, Zeinab Sekaanvand was taken from his cell and imprisoned in solitary confinement in preparation for its implementation. On September 29 they had taken her to the clinic of the prison, where staff subjected it to a pregnancy test. On September 30 it became known that the result was negative. Subsequently, the prison authorities were in contact with the family to tell them to go to prison on 1 October to make a last visit, which informed them that his execution was scheduled for Oct. 2.

Zeinab Sekaanvand comes from a poor, conservative family, and left home at age 15 to marry Hossein Sarmadi, four years older than her. He said that he thought that marriage was the only opportunity that had a life better. However, shortly after getting married, your spouse began to mistreat it as usual with insults and blows. Zeinab asked divorce several times, but he refused to give it to him. He also presented numerous allegations of abuse to the police, but this never investigated them. He tried to return with his family, but this had disowned her when she went home.

 

Source: Amnesty International. 

Original source in Spanish