A 26-year-old woman was hanged in a Tehran prison Saturday (Oct. 25) morning for stabbing a man she alleged was trying to sexually abuse her. Reyhaneh Jabbari was sentenced to death for the murder of Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, in 2009.
Repors Al Jazeera:
Reyhaneh Jabbari was arrested in 2007 for the murder of Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, a former employee of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence.
She was hanged at dawn on Saturday, the official IRNA news agency quoted the Tehran prosecutor’s office as saying.
A message posted on the homepage of a Facebook campaign that was set up to try to save her, but which now states “Rest in Peace,” appeared to confirm the report.
Efforts for clemency had intensified in recent weeks. Jabbari’s mother was allowed to visit her for one hour on Friday, Amnesty International said, a custom that tends to precede executions in Iran.
Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui of Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa Programme called Jabbir’s execution “shocking” and “deeply disappointing.”
“This is another bloody stain on Iran’s human rights record,”Sahraoui said.
Sarbandi’s family claims his murder was premeditated and that Jabari admitted to buying a knife a couple days before she stabbed him. Jabari’s supporters have said that the trial was flawed.
“There were serious concerns with the fairness of the trial and the circumstances surrounding this case, including reports of confessions made under severe duress,” said U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki. “Iranian authorities proceeded with this execution despite pleas from Iranian human rights activists and an international outcry over this case. We join our voice with those who call on Iran to respect the fair trial guarantees afforded to its people under Iran’s own laws and its international obligations.”
Jabari’s mother was granted one final meeting with her daughter, a day before the execution. The two stayed together for an hour, reports say.
See photos from Jabari’s gravesite, as well as family images, and some of her supporter in the gallery below.
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Photos: FB
