Goli Kouhkan, a 25-year-old Baluch woman, faces hanging in Iran unless she pays ,₹93 lakh (10 billion tomans) to her late husband’s family by December 2025.
Married at age 12 to her abusive cousin, Goli gave birth to a son at 13 and suffered years of beatings. When she ran to her parents’ house for help ,her father said “I sent you in a white wedding dress, now you can return only in a white shroud.”
In 2018, when her husband attacked their 5-year-old child, she called her cousin for help. A fight broke out, and the husband was killed. Goli has been in Gorgan Central Prison for seven years, sentenced to death for her role in the incident.
Under Iran’s “qisas” (retribution) law, the victim’s family can choose execution or accept “blood money” to pardon the killer. Here, they agreed to spare Goli only if she pays the huge amount and leaves her hometown forever — meaning she will never see her son again.
For Goli, time is running out. This case shows the harsh reality for many women in Iran. There are no laws against domestic violence and child marriages are common, especially among minorities. Iran executes more women than any other country. Rights groups call the system unfair, especially to poor women who act in self-defense.
