Iranian man sentenced to eight years in prison

Iranian man sentenced to eight years in prison for beheading his wife 17

Prior to her death, Mona Heydari allegedly accused her husband of domestic abuse.
Iran’s judiciary reports that a man who decapitated his 17-year-old wife has been given an eight-year prison sentence.

Following the so-called “honour killing” last year, pictures of Sajjad Heydari carrying Mona’s severed head in Ahvaz sparked fury among the public.

According to a judicial spokeswoman, Mona’s parents “pardoned” him for the murder rather than seeking retaliation, which is why the sentence was so lenient.

Her father had earlier claimed that he had not authorised the assassination.

There were also requests to raise the marital age requirement for raising children. Although it is currently fixed at 13, girls as young as 12 can lawfully wed with judicial and parental approval.

Similar uproar followed the beheading of 14-year-old Romina Ashrafi by her father in 2020, allegedly as a result of her running away from home with her boyfriend. Prior to killing his daughter, the father sought legal advice on the potential severity of his penalty. He was given nine years in prison, one less than the maximum permissible by the law.

Following that, the government passed a draught bill that would make some types of violence against women illegal. However, Parliament has not yet approved it.

In connection with the protests, four people have already been put to death, while another 18 have received death sentences. According to human rights organisations, they were found guilty following blatantly unjust mock trials.