Mai Sato: “Goli Kouhkan’s Freedom Must Not Distract Us From Structural Injustices Against Women”
Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, announced that Goli Kouhkan, a woman whose execution had previously been halted following a request by her and other UN experts, has been released.
She stated that while the payment of diya (blood money) and the saving of this prisoner’s life is a hopeful measure, the “institutional and structural injustices” that brought Kouhkan to the brink of execution still persist.
In her statement, Sato recalled that Goli Kouhkan was forced into marriage as a child and had been subjected to years of domestic violence—violence that is still not effectively criminalized in Iran.
According to the UN Special Rapporteur, Kouhkan’s case reflects a widespread pattern of discrimination against women within Iran’s judicial system. Between 2010 and 2024, at least 241 women have been executed in Iran, and in 114 cases, women convicted of murdering their husband or partner were themselves victims of domestic violence, child marriage, or acting in self-defense.
Sato emphasized that the extensive global attention on this case, including coverage in international media like The Guardian, must not lead to the neglect of the fate of dozens of other women whose cases are never seen or heard.
She concluded by referencing the conflict between the qisas (retribution) system and international human rights standards, calling for the complete abolition of the death penalty and the provision of effective mechanisms to protect women’s rights in Iran.
