Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 27 February 2026: Soheila Asadi, a woman on death row for the murder of the man she was forced to marry, was executed in Isfahan Central Prison.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a woman was hanged in Isfahan (Dastgerd) Central Prison on 23 February 2026. Her identity has been established as 30-year-old Soheila Asadi from Kashan. She was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.
An informed source told IHRNGO: “Soheila was arrested about four years ago on charges of murder her husband. She had been in a long-term romantic relationship with another person and they intended to marry, but her father forced her to marry someone else named Alireza. Soheila, who was under intense family pressure and in a forced marriage situation, ultimately decided to kill her fiancé. At a time when no one was at home, she poisoned him by administering a toxic substance at his family home, resulting in his death.”
At the time of writing, her execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.
Soheila Asadi is the fourth woman execution recorded in 2026. In 2025, at least 48 women were executed, the highest number of women executions recorded in Iran in more than two decades. Iran executes the highest recorded number of women globally.
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.
Those charged with the umbrella term of “intentional murder” are sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) regardless of intent or circumstances due to a lack of grading in law. Once a defendant has been convicted, the victim’s family are required to choose between death as retribution, diya (blood money) or forgiveness.
Crucially, while an indicative diya amount is set by the Judiciary every year, there is no legal limit to how much can be demanded by families of the victims. IHRNGO has recorded many cases where defendants are executed because they cannot afford to pay the blood money. Should the victim’s family choose execution, they are not only encouraged to attend, but also to physically carry out the execution themselves.