Goli Kouhkan she is safe. Someone forgave Goli, if we had to talk about forgiveness. A “grace” that arrived thanks to mediation by the judiciary and the agreement of the parents of the man, the husband, who Goli had killed to defend himself. According to Islamic law, they could have chosen to have her killed.
This was reported by the Iranian press agency Mizanconfirming that the execution scheduled for December has been officially suspended.
The young woman, forced into an early marriage at the age of just 12 and marked for years by physical and psychological violence, was sentenced to qisas (the in-kind remuneration provided for by Iranian law) for an episode that led to the death of her husband. Also accused together with her was Mohammad Abil, the victim’s cousin, who Goli had contacted in desperation that day. Mohammad, unfortunately, is still on death row. Last week, UN human rights experts called on Tehran to suspend his execution.
The diya
The family members of Goli’s husband would have agreed to give up their right to execution after having fully collected the diya – the “blood money”. The amount requested, initially set at 10 billion tomans, was then reduced to 8 billion (around 80 thousand euros). A huge sum for a young undocumented woman, coming from one of the most marginalized communities in Iran, and abandoned even by her own family.
Thanks to a mobilization of donations and support from associations and citizens, the sum was collected in time and Goli was officially saved from the gallows.
Goli’s case has put the spotlight on a real problem. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddamdirector of Iran Human Rights, recalled how the young woman’s path unfortunately represents the reality of many women in Iran:
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The director also denounced the total absence of protection throughout the judicial process: no lawyer during the arrest and interrogations, no recognition of his history of abuse, no consideration for his illiteracy at the time of the events.
The rescue of Goli Kouhkan does not erase the years of abuse or the profound injustices faced. But it shows something powerful: when a community mobilizes, even in the most difficult contexts, it can break a destiny that seemed already written.
A result obtained not thanks to the system, but despite the system. And now the attention shifts to Mohammad and all the other women and men who, like Goli, live trapped in mechanisms of violence, discrimination and poverty from which it is very difficult to escape without external support.
