Iranian Woman Spared Execution After Paying 'Blood Money' for Husband's Death

Goli Koukhan, who was facing execution in Iran, has been spared after paying 10 billion tomans in diyah, or blood money, to the family of her deceased husband. The payment satisfies a requirement under Iran's Islamic law system.

Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, confirmed the news on Friday. Koukhan's case has drawn international attention due to the circumstances surrounding her marriage and the death of her husband.

Koukhan was married at the age of 12 and suffered years of abuse at the hands of her husband, who was also her cousin. The events leading to her husband's death began when Koukhan called a relative for help during an episode in which her husband was beating her five-year-old son. A fight ensued, resulting in the husband's death.

Koukhan, now 18, has been on death row in Gorgan central prison for the past seven years. Her case has been widely condemned by human rights organizations. Sato acknowledged the importance of saving Koukhan's life but also highlighted the systemic injustices within Iran's legal framework that placed her in this situation.

According to Ziba Baktyari, a member of the women’s advocacy organization Brashm, Koukhan had previously sought refuge at her family's home to escape the abuse. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. she was reportedly told by her father that she could only return home in death, referencing the cultural tradition of a bride leaving in a white dress.