Darabi’s boyfriend allegedly told her to take the blame, as he was 19 at the time, and she was 17. The couple believed that the Iranian government would not execute Darabi, as she was a minor at the time of the crime. Despite protests from human rights organizations, Darabi was executed Friday, after calling her mother and screaming, “Oh, Mother, I see the hangman’s noose in front of me. They are going to execute me. Please save me.” Darabi’s lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaei, claims the execution took place without family notification or a lawyer present. “She was denied a legal right guaranteed under the law, Mostafaei says, “The hasty execution and the ignoring of legal provisions suggests that some authorities were happy to put an end to her life.”
Human rights groups across the world have denounced the hanging: Zama Coursen-Neff of Human Rights Watch calls the execution “an outrageous violation of Iranian as well as international human rights law, and a callous affront to basic human dignity.” Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui of Amnesty International agrees: “This appears to have been a cynical move on the part of the authorities to avoid domestic and international protests which might have saved Delara Darabi’s life.” The execution was also condemned by the European Union, who called it “counter to the international commitments that Iran has voluntarily accepted.”
Darabi’s boyfriend is currently serving 10 years in prison for his role in the murder.
Iran Hangs Woman Convicted Of Murder As Minor [AP]
Rights Groups Denounce Delana Darabi’s Execution [LA Times]
Amnesty International Condemns Hanging Of Iranian Woman [CBC]
