Iran executes woman after court rejects self‑defence claim

Marzieh Nieri, a 23‑year‑old woman, was executed by hanging at Qazvin Central Prison on Thursday after an Iranian court dismissed her claim that she had wounded a man who had attempted to assault her. The court ruled that her self‑defence argument did not meet the required legal threshold, sentencing her to death under the country’s criminal code.

This execution brings the total number of women executed in Iran since the beginning of 2026 to at least fourteen. The killings have drawn criticism from human rights organisations, which argue that the judiciary frequently applies harsh penalties to women for crimes that may involve self‑defence or other mitigating circumstances. Iran’s legal system, which still employs the death penalty for a range of offenses, continues to face international scrutiny over its application of capital punishment.

The case underscores ongoing concerns about the treatment of women in Iran’s criminal justice system and the broader debate over the use of the death penalty in the country.