Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); February 5, 2025: Maryam Kaviani and Hamidreza Shahmoradi, a woman and man on death row for murder and drug-related offences, were executed in Khorramabad Central Prison. Another woman was returned to her cell after obtaining a two-month extension to pay the blood money.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a woman was executed in Khorramabad (Parsilion) Central Prison on 1st February 2025. Her identity has been established as 40-year-old Maryam Kaviani from Khorramabad. She was arrested for the murder of her husband five years ago and sentenced to qisas(retribution-in-kind) by the Criminal Court.
A man was also hanged at the prison on 3rd February. His identity has been established as 39-year-old Hamidreza Shahmoradi (photo) from Gonbad Kavous. He was arrested for drug-related offences three years ago and sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.
Maryam Kaviani was transferred to the gallows with another woman who managed to obtain a two-month extension to raise the diya (blood money) required by the plaintiffs to forgo their right to execution.
At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.
Maryam's execution is the first woman execution to be recorded in Iran in 2025. Iran executes the highest number of women globally. In 2024, at least 31 women were executed for drug-related, murder and security-related charges in Iran, the highest number of recorded women executions in more than 15 years.
In January 2025, IHRNGO published a report titled “Women and the Death Penalty in Iran; a Gendered Perspective,” which sheds light on the contemporary experiences of women facing the death penalty, focusing on the discriminatory laws and societal factors that perpetuate their suffering.