Goli Kouhkan, a 25-year-old woman from northern Iran, is on death row in Gorgan Central Prison and faces execution in December unless she raises €90,000 in “blood money” demanded by her abusive husband’s family. Forced into marriage at 12 and subjected to years of physical and emotional abuse, she was arrested at 18 after her husband’s death in 2018. She called a cousin for help when her husband violently beat their five-year-old son; a fight ensued, leading to the husband’s death. Goli, illiterate and without legal representation, confessed under pressure and was sentenced to qisas (retribution in kind).
Her case exposes the harsh reality for women in Iran—child marriage remains legal, domestic violence largely unpunished, and poor women from ethnic minorities like the Baluch face systemic discrimination. Without the impossible ransom, she will be executed. In Iran, at least 31 women were executed in 2024 and 37 so far in 2025, the highest numbers in over 15 years.
