Iranian authorities carried out the execution of an unnamed woman in West Azerbaijan province on December 13, 2025, after convicting her of murdering her four-year-old stepdaughter, identified as Ava. The child succumbed to severe brain injuries from wounds inflicted by the stepmother in December 2023, prompting a swift judicial response under Iran's qisas retribution laws. Naser Atabati, the province's chief justice, confirmed the hanging occurred at dawn, fulfilling the victim's mother's insistent demand for the death penalty.
Legal proceedings advanced rapidly, with the woman sentenced to qisas in March 2024 a form of Islamic retribution allowing victim's families to seek equivalent punishment and the Supreme Court upholding the verdict. This case underscores Iran's retention of capital punishment for grave offenses like murder, typically administered by hanging at dawn, positioning the country as the world's second-leading executor after China according to human rights monitors.
The execution draws attention to ongoing debates over Iran's judicial practices amid international criticism, though officials emphasize family consent in qisas applications. No further details on the perpetrator's identity or additional motives were disclosed by Mizan Online or judicial statements. Rights groups continue tracking such cases as indicators of broader penal trends in the Islamic Republic.