Iranian child bride facing imminent execution, UN experts warn

An Iranian woman forced into marriage at the age of 12 is at imminent risk of execution over the death of her abusive husband, a group of independent United Nations human rights experts has warned.

Goli Kouhkan, an undocumented Baluch woman now aged 25, is reportedly scheduled to be executed this month, according to a statement released on December 2 by eight UN experts, Daily Mail writes.

“Kouhkan's case exemplifies the systemic gender bias faced by women victims of child marriage and domestic violence within Iran's criminal justice system,” the experts said. “Carrying out the execution would constitute a grave violation of international human rights law.”

According to the UN statement, Kouhkan was forced to marry her cousin at age 12 and gave birth to a son a year later at home without medical assistance. The experts said she endured years of severe physical and psychological abuse while working as a farm labourer.

In May 2018, when she was 18, her husband beat both her and their five-year-old son. After Kouhkan called a relative for help, a confrontation ensued that resulted in her husband’s death.

“Goli Kouhkan is a survivor of domestic violence and a victim of the justice system,” the experts said. “Her execution would represent a profound injustice. The State would be killing a woman who endured years of gender-based violence while defending herself and her child.”

The experts also noted that Kouhkan is illiterate, lacked access to legal counsel, and was reportedly coerced into accepting full responsibility for the killing. Her husband’s family agreed to forgo the execution in exchange for “blood money,” a practice permitted under Iran’s interpretation of sharia law.

But the amount demanded—equivalent to US$90,000—was “considerably higher than the recommended rate and far beyond her reach,” the experts said. “Kouhkan faces execution not based on justice, but because she cannot afford to pay for her life.”

They said her case reflects a wider pattern of discrimination against women within Iran’s justice system. Nearly half of the 241 women executed in Iran between 2010 and 2024 were convicted of homicide, primarily involving husbands or intimate partners.

“Many of these women were victims of domestic violence or child marriage, or acted in self-defence,” the experts said.

By Sabina Mammadli