Mojgan Azarpisheh and Kosar Bagherzadeh at Imminent Risk of Execution in Urmia

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two women were transferred to the pre-execution cells of Urmia (Darya) Central Prison on 15 March. Their identities have been established as Mojgan Azarpisheh from Naghadeh and Kosar Bagherzadeh from Urmia who were both sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Mojgan Azarpisheh waws arrested for the murder of a pregnant woman six years ago and Kosar Bagherzadeh was arrested for the murder of her husband over two years ago. Their executions are scheduled to be carried out in the coming days.”

Iran executes the highest number of women globally. In 2024, at least 31 women were executed for drug-related, murder and security-related charges in Iran, the highest number of recorded women executions in more than 15 years. In 2025, at least five women have been executed.

Those charged with the umbrella term of “intentional murder” are sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) regardless of intent or circumstances due to a lack of grading in law. Once a defendant has been convicted, the victim’s family are required to choose between death as retribution, diya (blood money) or forgiveness.

Crucially, while an indicative amount is set by the Judiciary every year, there is no legal limit to how much can be demanded by families of the victims. IHRNGO has recorded many cases where defendants are executed because they cannot afford to pay the blood money.

According to IHRNGO’s 2024 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 419 people including a juvenile offender and 19 women, were executed for murder charges, the highest number of qisas executions since 2010. Only 12% of the recorded qisas executions were announced by official sources. In 2024, Iran Human Rights also recorded 649 cases of families choosing diya or forgiveness instead of qisas executions.