The execution of an Iranian woman charged with killing her alleged attacker has been halted at the last minute.
Rayhaneh Jabbari, 26, has spent seven years in jail and was scheduled to be hanged today for the stabbing and killing of Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, a former employee of the Iranian Intelligence Ministry, in 2007.
Jabbari claims that Sarbandi drugged and attempted to rape her, and Iranian activists have pushed for her death sentence to be revoked with her actions those of self defence.
Jabbari’s case has also found a groundswell of support around the globe, with more than 140,000 people signing a petition to have her sentence revoked. United Nations special investigator on human rights, Ahmed Shaheed, also spoke out against her execution, claiming that she did not receive a fair trial.
Tehran did not give a reason for halting the execution and have not given any indication that her conviction was overturned. However, no future date for the execution has been disclosed.
