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October 29, 2014

U.N. Criticizes Iran for Execution of Woman in Killing Alleged Rapist 
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The United Nations meanwhile has criticized Iran for the execution of a
woman convicted of killing a man she had accused of rape. Reyhaneh
Jabbari had claimed self-defense in her killing of an intelligence
official who she said had raped her years earlier when she was a
teenager. The case drew global attention and the attempted intervention
of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. But U.N. human rights agency
spokesperson Rupert Colville said Iranian officials ultimately bear
responsibility for failing to stop the killing.

Rupert Colville: "The Iranian authorities apparently did make attempts
to prevent the execution, which was stayed at least twice, in April and
in September, in order to enable the two families to reach a settlement.
However, it's the government's responsibility to prevent execution,
especially when there is so much uncertainty about the events
surrounding the killing and concerns over due process."

 

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