Shahla Jahed executed at Evin Prison

Shahla Jahed

Shahla Jahed, Iranian woman charged with murder, was executed this morning at Evin Prison after eight years on death row.

According to Iranian media, the sentence was approved by the Supreme Court and head of the judiciary, Ayatollah Amoli Larijani, and executed at 5 am this morning.

The execution was carried out in the presence of the judge and the family of the victim.

ISNA reports that the reporters were present at 4:30 am at the prison gates but were prevented from entering the prison.

According to ISNA most of the people at the gates were still hopeful that the family might consent to stop the execution.

Abdolsamad Khoramshahi, Shahla Jahed’s lawyer spoke to the reporters at 5:50 am reporting that the execution had been carried out.

In an interview with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Khoramshahi said: “Shahla only cried and wouldn’t speak. I went forward and asked her to say something. But she only cried. The victim’s family refused to give their consent. Everyone present begged them to consent to stop the execution but unfortunately they did not accept. Nasser Mohammadkhani was there and he did not say anything either.”

Shahla Jahed was charged with the murder of Laleh Saharkhizan, wife of Nasser Mohammadkhani, an Iranian professional football star. Eleven months after her arrest she reportedly confessed to murdering Shahrkhizan; however, some sources have reported that in her trial she denied having murdered her.

Kharamshahi refused to talk about the “doubtful points” of the case saying: “Shahla is gone. Everything is finished and the file is closed. There is no point in talking about the doubts in the case.”

Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi, Tehran Prosecutor called on the media yesterday to refrain from creating “doubt” around Jahed’s case and insisted that everything in the case has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt with an “explicit confession.”

Jahed’s lawyer had managed to suspend the execution of her client with a letter to the former head of the judiciary, Ayatollah Shahroudi eight years ago. In the meantime, every effort had been made so that the family of the victim would forego the execution, however, the family had insisted on Jahed’s execution to the very end.