A desperate race against time is underway to save a young Iranian woman from execution after she killed her abusive husband while still a child bride.
Somayeh M, whose identity remains protected, faces death by hanging unless her impoverished family can raise the staggering sum of £80,000 in 'blood money' demanded by her deceased husband's relatives.
A Childhood Stolen
The tragic case exposes the brutal intersection of child marriage and Iran's punitive justice system. Somayeh was just 15 years old when she was forced into marriage with a man nearly three decades her senior.
According to human rights organisations, she endured years of systematic abuse before the fatal confrontation that would see her convicted of murder.
The Price of a Life
Under Iran's Islamic penal code, the family of a murder victim holds the power to demand retribution through execution or accept financial compensation known as 'diyeh' or blood money.
Despite Somayeh's legal team arguing she acted in self-defence against her abusive 41-year-old husband, the court sentenced her to death. The victim's family has set the blood money amount at 10 billion Iranian rials - approximately £80,000 - an impossible sum for her struggling family.
International Outcry Grows
Human rights advocates worldwide are rallying behind Somayeh's case, highlighting the injustice of executing someone for defending themselves against abuse suffered as a child bride.
"This case represents everything that's wrong with both child marriage and Iran's death penalty system," said a spokesperson from Amnesty International. "A child forced into marriage, subjected to abuse, and now facing execution unless her family can buy her freedom."
A Grim Reality for Many
Somayeh's plight is not isolated. Iran remains one of the few countries that continues to execute individuals for crimes committed as minors, despite international conventions it has signed.
Child marriage, though technically restricted, continues through legal loopholes that allow guardians to approve underage unions.
As the deadline for payment approaches, human rights organisations are increasing pressure on Iranian authorities to intervene and grant Somayeh clemency, arguing that no child bride should face execution for defending herself against an abusive husband.
