Child Bride Will Be Executed Unless She Can Raise $100K
A 25-year-old Iranian woman who was forced into marriage as a child is facing execution unless she can raise the equivalent of $100,000 in “blood money” by December.
Goli Kouhkan, a member of Iran’s persecuted Baluch minority, has spent seven years on death row in Gorgan Central Prison after being convicted of killing her husband at age 18. According to reports from The Guardian, Kouhkan was forced to marry her cousin when she was just 12 years old and nearly died giving birth at 13. For years, she allegedly endured relentless physical and emotional abuse.
The incident that led to her husband’s death reportedly began when Kouhkan found him beating their 5-year-old son. She called a cousin for help, and during the struggle that followed, her husband was killed. Both were arrested.
Human rights groups say Kouhkan was interrogated without legal representation and coerced into signing a confession, despite being illiterate. She was sentenced to death by hanging. Under Iranian law, however, the victim’s family can grant clemency in exchange for financial compensation—known as diya, or blood money.
Authorities reached an agreement allowing Kouhkan to live if she paid 10 billion tomans (roughly $100,000) and left the city. With no identity papers, income, or support, raising that amount before the December deadline seems nearly impossible.
Supporters have launched the #SaveGoli campaign online to help raise funds, according to The Jerusalem Post. But even if Kouhkan’s life is spared, she is unlikely to regain custody of her son, now being raised by his paternal grandparents.
Advocates say Kouhkan’s ordeal underscores systemic injustices in Iran—particularly against women, minorities, and the poor. Child marriage remains legal, domestic abuse protections are weak, and Iran reportedly executes more women than any other nation. At least 31 women were executed in 2024, with another 30 so far this year.
Cases like Kouhkan’s, human rights activists warn, highlight the urgent need for reform and international pressure on Iran’s judicial system.
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