Iranian authorities have executed a woman convicted of killing her four-year-old stepdaughter in the country’s northwest, judicial officials confirmed on Saturday.
The execution followed the conclusion of investigations and court proceedings over the death of the child, identified as Ava, who reportedly died in December 2023 after sustaining severe brain injuries linked to repeated abuse allegedly carried out by her stepmother.
According to Mizan Online, the official news outlet of Iran’s judiciary, the woman was found guilty in March 2024 and sentenced to death under qisas, an Islamic legal provision that allows the victim’s family to demand capital punishment in murder cases.
The verdict was later upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court.
Chief Justice of West Azerbaijan province, Naser Atabati, disclosed that the execution was carried out at dawn, adding that the victim’s biological mother insisted on the enforcement of retributive justice.
The identity of the executed woman was not made public.
Iran retains the death penalty for grave offences, including murder and rape, with executions commonly carried out by hanging in the early hours of the day.