Samira Sabzian Fard, a 30-year-old mother of two, was executed at dawn on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, in Qezel Hessar Prison, Karaj. Her execution is a stark reminder of the grim realities faced by many women in Iran, especially those who are victims of systemic abuse and injustice.
Samira Sabzian Fard’s life story is a tragic tale of suffering and oppression. Born in Khorramabad, the capital of Lorestan Province in western Iran, Samira was a victim of child marriage, being forced into matrimony at the tender age of 15. She endured years of domestic violence in a society where such issues are often overlooked or normalized. The situation escalated to a tragic climax in December 2014 when Samira, with the alleged complicity of her sister and another individual, murdered her husband in Malard, Tehran Province.
Her arrest and subsequent imprisonment led to a decade-long struggle within the Iranian legal system. In the final days leading up to her execution, Samira was subjected to solitary confinement as a form of preparation. During this period, she experienced a severe deterioration in her health, losing her ability to speak and walk. Despite this, she was cruelly returned to solitary confinement as a punitive measure after a brief return to the general ward.
This statistic underscores the disturbing reality that Iran holds the world record for the execution of women, a practice widely used by the clerical regime as a tool to instill fear and maintain control over the populace.
Samira’s execution marks a grim milestone; she is the 21st woman executed in Iran in 2023, bringing the total number of women executed since 2007 to 224.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) Women’s Committee has vehemently condemned this execution and the frequent use of the death penalty in Iran. They call for urgent international action to halt the regime’s execution machine and propose the establishment of an international fact-finding delegation to visit Iranian prisons and meet with prisoners.
Adding to this outcry, the United Nations General Assembly passed its 70th resolution on December 19, 2023, condemning human rights abuses in Iran. The resolution, adopted by a majority vote, highlights the global consensus against a regime that consistently violates basic human rights standards.
Rajavi highlighted the regime’s extensive and institutionalized oppression of women, including enforced hijab, violence, discrimination, and the execution of girls for improper hijab.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the NCRI, emphasized that the resolution only scratches the surface of the regime’s atrocities. She pointed out the systematic violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the Iranian regime, particularly noting the increase in executions since the outbreak of war in the Middle East on October 7, 2023.
MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTu