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A woman in Iran’s north-west was executed on Saturday after she was found guilty of killing her four-year-old stepdaughter, according to the judiciary.
The child, named Ava, died in December 2023 after suffering fatal brain injuries resulting from wounds allegedly inflicted by her stepmother, the judiciary’s news platform Mizan Online reported at the time.
After the conclusion of legal proceedings, the woman was sentenced in March 2024 to qisas — the Islamic principle of retributive justice — which permits a victim’s family to seek the death penalty.
The ruling was subsequently confirmed by Iran’s Supreme Court.
Naser Atabati, the chief justice of West Azerbaijan province, where the crime occurred, said the execution was carried out at dawn on Saturday, noting that Ava’s mother “had firmly demanded” retribution.
The identity of the executed woman was not disclosed by the authorities.
Iran maintains capital punishment for offences including murder and rape, with executions typically carried out by hanging in the early hours of the morning.
Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, rank Iran as the world’s second-highest executor after China.
