Goli Kouhkan she is little more than a child and risks ending up hanged. Goli Kouhkan she is little more than a little girl, one baluch 25 years old, and today she is thrown at the bottom of Gorgan Central Prison in Iran. In a few months she could be executed. Goli Kouhkan she is little more than a child.
His fault? He would have killed his Husbandafter yet another episode of domestic violence. A tragic story behind which lies an even harsher reality: Goli was marked by a forced marriage, which was followed by physical and psychological abuse. One of those child brides who are still talked about too little.
And now, if he fails to pay the 10 billion tomans (around 100 thousand euros) requested by the victim’s family as “price of blood”, Goli Kouhkan she could in turn be killed. Hanged. Like the worst death penalty (if there are any “worse” than others).
Goli’s life: a forced marriage and incessant violence
At just 12 years old, Goli Kouhkan she was forced to marry a cousin and gave birth to a son a year later. During her pregnancy (during which she had no medical assistance) Goli was forced to continue carrying out heavy labor in the fields and at home, while her husband continued to abuse her. A condition that slowly destroyed her.
An informant told Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) that Goli attempted to escape several times, but was unsuccessful. On one of these occasions, she took refuge with her family, but her father told her:
I gave you in marriage in a white dress, you will return in a shroud.
His life was a terrible fate, a cycle of violence that seemed to never end.
In May 2018, Goli, now 18, found himself facing a new escalation of violence. During one of the many arguments with her husband, who had beaten her and her son, she asked a relative of her husband for help. When the man arrived, a fight broke out which led to the accidental death of Goli’s husband. Immediately after the accident, Goli called an ambulance and reported everything to the authorities, telling the truth about what happened. A self-condemnation: Goli was arrested and sentenced to “qisas“: blood crimes are regulated by the concept of “Qisas”, a term that generally means “restitution of the same kind” or the well-known “law of retaliation”. The victim’s family can request “qisas”, or they can grant their own forgiveness.
After seven years of imprisonment, the family of Goli’s husband agreed to renounce the execution of the capital punishment as long as Goli pays a sum of those 10 billion tomans. AND the so-called diyaor blood money, and is requested by the families of the victims in exchange for forgiveness or to avoid execution. However, if Goli fails to raise this sum, she will be sentenced to death.
Meanwhile, her family of origin has completely abandoned her. Only thanks to the few visits granted by the prison, Goli was able to see her little son, thanks to the intervention of the prison authorities.
The condition of women in Iran
The tragic story of Goli Kouhkan is not an isolated case. And we know it well.
Women in Iran continue to face a deeply discriminatory legal system, which continues to significantly penalize them when faced with murder charges. According to Iranian laws, anyone accused of “intentional murder” can be sentenced to qisas, without considering the circumstances that led to the crime. Once convicted, the families of the victims have the power to decide whether to opt for the death penalty, the payment of “blood money” or forgiveness.
Although there is an indicative sum established annually by Iranian justice, there is no legal limit to how much the victims’ families can ask for. IHRNGO has documented numerous cases in which people accused of murder were executed because they failed to pay the required sum. In some cases, victims’ families not only have the right to choose capital punishment, but are also encouraged to physically participate in the execution of the sentence.
Iran is one of the countries with the highest rate of executions of women in the world. In 2024, at least 31 women were executed for drug, murder and national security-related crimes, the highest number of executions of women in more than 15 years. So far, in 2025, at least 30 women have been executed. This issue highlights the tragic reality of women in Iran who often find themselves having to face a legal system that does not guarantee them justice.
The story of Goli Kouhkan is an example of how women, especially the most vulnerable and from ethnic minorities such as the baluchare processed in Iran. Domestic violence, discrimination and the absence of fundamental rights force them to live in a condition of fear and suffering, often without the possibility of salvation.
So let’s try to see this sad story of Goli as a call to action for the international community and for all those who fight for human rights and justice. How can we remain silent in the face of such injustice?
