A 25-year-old Iranian woman, Goli Kouhkan, has narrowly escaped execution after her husband's parents agreed to pardon her in exchange for a hefty sum of money. The young mother had been on death row since 2018, when she was just 18 years old and allegedly killed her abusive husband, Alireza Abil. Under Iranian law, families of victims can pardon someone in return for "blood money," or compensation paid in cases of murder or bodily harm.
Kouhkan's story is a stark example of the country's discriminatory laws against women, particularly those who are victims of domestic violence and child marriage. In 2018, at just 13 years old, Kouhkan was forced to marry her cousin and became pregnant at 14. She suffered physical and emotional abuse for years before the tragic event that landed her on death row.
According to human rights experts, Kouhkan's case highlights the systemic gender bias faced by women victims of child marriage and domestic violence within Iran's justice system. The fact that she was sentenced to "qisas" – retribution-in-kind – in exchange for killing her husband is particularly concerning, given that many of these cases involve women acting in self-defense.
The international community has weighed in on Kouhkan's case, with the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran stating that the law is in violation of many international standards. The Guardian reported earlier this month that Kouhkan had been given an ultimatum: pay off the victim's family or face execution by hanging.
However, thanks to a global outcry and donations from organizations and individuals worldwide, Kouhkan has managed to raise enough money to avoid execution. Her parents-in-law signed over the compensation amount of 8 billion tomans (approximately £70,000) in exchange for their forgiveness, saving her life.
Kouhkan's lawyer confirmed on Instagram that the original sum had been reduced and was raised through donations. She now hopes to be reunited with her son when she is released from prison. According to charity founder Mehdi Ghatei, international pressure played a significant role in saving her life, as did awareness-raising efforts by organizations like his own Qasim Child Foundation.
Kouhkan's case highlights the urgent need for reform of Iran's discriminatory laws and the importance of protecting human rights, particularly for women and children.
Kouhkan's story is a stark example of the country's discriminatory laws against women, particularly those who are victims of domestic violence and child marriage. In 2018, at just 13 years old, Kouhkan was forced to marry her cousin and became pregnant at 14. She suffered physical and emotional abuse for years before the tragic event that landed her on death row.
According to human rights experts, Kouhkan's case highlights the systemic gender bias faced by women victims of child marriage and domestic violence within Iran's justice system. The fact that she was sentenced to "qisas" – retribution-in-kind – in exchange for killing her husband is particularly concerning, given that many of these cases involve women acting in self-defense.
The international community has weighed in on Kouhkan's case, with the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran stating that the law is in violation of many international standards. The Guardian reported earlier this month that Kouhkan had been given an ultimatum: pay off the victim's family or face execution by hanging.
However, thanks to a global outcry and donations from organizations and individuals worldwide, Kouhkan has managed to raise enough money to avoid execution. Her parents-in-law signed over the compensation amount of 8 billion tomans (approximately £70,000) in exchange for their forgiveness, saving her life.
Kouhkan's lawyer confirmed on Instagram that the original sum had been reduced and was raised through donations. She now hopes to be reunited with her son when she is released from prison. According to charity founder Mehdi Ghatei, international pressure played a significant role in saving her life, as did awareness-raising efforts by organizations like his own Qasim Child Foundation.
Kouhkan's case highlights the urgent need for reform of Iran's discriminatory laws and the importance of protecting human rights, particularly for women and children.
can you believe what happened to goli kouhkan?! 
she was just 18 and already facing death row because her husband was abusive, but luckily some ppl in her fam agreed to pardon her for a huge sum of money instead. it's so messed up that women in iran have to deal with these discriminatory laws and child marriage is even allowed at 13?! 
i was reading about it on reddit and i just can't believe she had to go through all that cuz of her husband's parents wanting money back 
my aunt got divorced last year and it was super stressful for her, imagine being in a situation like Goli and having no choice but what to die or get killed 
does anyone know how much that is in pounds?
she was only 13 when she got married & 14 when she had her kid 
what even is that? 
and now she's almost dead because of a law that lets families get paid to kill their own daughters 
it's like, hello human rights 
international community you guys have been saying this for years now & people are finally listening 
but honestly it's about time someone started speaking out against these disgusting laws 
not just Kouhkan, but every single girl in that country deserves to be safe & protected 
can you even imagine being 18 & on death row for killing an abuser? 
it's not right that she had to beg for her life in exchange for 8 billion tomans... like, what even is that? 
we need more stories like this to keep pushing for change and equality 
. It's just not fair that she had to go through all that trauma and abuse because of Iran's discriminatory laws against women 
. The fact that she was only 18 when she got married and became pregnant is just heartbreaking 
. We should be doing more to help victims of domestic violence and child marriage around the world 
. And the fact that her husband's family is willing to take a hefty sum to save her life instead of actually doing something to stop the abuse is just gut-wrenching 
. I mean, think about it - if men did what she did, they'd be hailed as heroes 
. But women are expected to suffer in silence 
.
.
.
Let's keep the conversation going about how we can create a more just and equitable society for women and children worldwide 
.
We need to keep pushing for change & raising awareness about these issues 
I'm not buying the whole "global outcry" thing 
.
... like 8 billion tomans is a lot of money 
she was just 18 and forced into marriage at 13, can you even imagine? 
the fact that her family agreed to pardon her in exchange for cash is just disgusting