IRAN - Asma Zarei

IRAN - Asma Zarei (Esma Zarei) executed in Ardabil on May 20

May 20, 2026:

May 20, 2026 - IRAN. Asma Zarei (Esma Zarei) executed in Ardabil on May 20

After she gave birth in custody

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a woman was hanged in Ardabil Central Prison on 20 May 2026. Her identity has been established as Asma Zarei, a 28-year-old woman from Pars Abad. She was arrested for the murder of her husband around three years ago.
A source told IHR: “Asma was accused of killing her husband through pills. She was pregnant at the time of her arrest and her baby was born in prison. That child is now two years old. In the will she wrote before being executed, Asma asked for her mother to raise her child. She was transferred to the pre-execution solitary confinement cells a day prior to her execution and was hanged after a last visit with her family.”
“The women's ward of Ardabil Central Prison currently holds around 80 prisoners, including at least seven other female inmates who have been sentenced to qisas on murder charges,” the source added.

At the time of writing, her execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

According to IHR and Hengaw, Asma Zarei is the sixth woman execution recorded in 2026.
According to Wncri, she is the 12^th woman executed this year, and the 340^th since 2007.