Amnesty International: Execution of young woman a bloody stain on Iran’s human rights record

Press releases, 25, October 2014
The execution of Iranian Reyhaneh Jabbari who was convicted after a deeply flawed investigation and trial is an affront to justice, said Amnesty International today.
Reyhaneh Jabbari, 26, was executed in a Tehran prison this morning. She had been convicted of killing a man whom she said tried to sexually abuse her.
 “The shocking news that Reyhaneh Jabbari has been executed is deeply disappointing in the extreme. This is another bloody stain on Iran’s human rights record,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa Program.
 “Tragically, this case is far from uncommon. Once again Iran has insisted on applying the death penalty despite serious concerns over the fairness of the trial.”
Amnesty International believes that the death penalty is an abhorrent form of punishment and should never be used under any circumstances.
Next week Iran will hear recommendations from UN member states during its UN Universal Periodic Review. Amnesty International is calling on states to use this opportunity to strongly condemn Iran’s use of the death penalty.