Execution of Sediqeh Ghorbani Carried Out in Urmia Prison
13-December-2025
Category: executions
13 December 2025
News Category: Execution
Breathing in Confinement — The death sentence of at least one female prisoner, who had previously been arrested and sentenced to death on charges of murder, was carried out in Urmia Prison.
According to Breathing in Confinement, a news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, in the early hours of Saturday, 13 December 2025, a prisoner was hanged in Urmia Prison. The identity of the executed prisoner has been confirmed by Breathing in Confinement as Sediqeh Ghorbani. One day earlier, Breathing in Confinement had reported her transfer to solitary confinement in preparation for the execution.
Sediqeh Ghorbani, from Khoy, was arrested in 2023 on charges of murdering her four-year-old adopted daughter, Ava, and was subsequently sentenced to death. According to reports, Ava’s father declared forgiveness after receiving his share of the diyah (blood money). However, Ava’s mother paid the remaining amount of the diyah, thereby enabling the implementation of the death sentence.
The incident drew widespread attention in the region and prompted significant public reaction. Nevertheless, it must be emphasised that rather than relying on severe punishments such as execution, it is essential to thoroughly examine the underlying causes of such crimes and to strengthen supportive and preventive mechanisms—particularly in the area of child protection. Execution not only fails to provide a guarantee for crime prevention but also obstructs meaningful reform of the criminal justice system.
The sentence was carried out in the early hours of Saturday, 13 December 2025, in Urmia Prison.
Annual Report on Executions in Iran
According to the annual report by the Statistics Centre of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, at least 1,170 individuals were executed in Iran in 2024. Among them, six people were executed in public, and the executed also included 38 women and 9 juvenile offenders.