The Islamic Republic of Iran executed Reyhaneh Jabbari on Saturday by hanging, despite the international outcry against the execution.
Jabbari (26) was accused of killing her rapist, Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, a member of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence.
Jabbari was hung at Gohardasht Prison, north of Karaj.
The case attracted worldwide attention after she was arrested in 2007 for the murder of Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, the attacker who she stabbed with a penknife as he allegedly drugged and tried to rape her.
The prosecution’s case against her has been highly questioned, and her lawyers said she was not given a fair trial, which is far from surprising. There was also an open question whether it was actually someone else who killed him and not Jabbari with a penknife.
Human Rights Watch had been leading a drive to save Jabbari’s life, said the Iranian judiciary earlier this year agreed to review the death sentence. Approximately 200,000 people signed a petition in her behalf.
Iranian news sources reported last month that Iran would have cancelled the execution if Sarbandi’s family had forgiven her.
