Iran executes woman who allegedly killed her attempted rapist


Despite international outcry, Iran executed Reyhaneh Jabbari, 26, on Saturday, CNN reports.
Jabbari was sentenced to death in 2007 following a "flawed investigation and unfair trial," according to Amnesty International. Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, a former employee of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, allegedly hired Jabbari for an interior design project, but Jabbari told officials that Sarbandi tried to sexually assault her while she was in the home, at which point she stabbed him once in the back. Amnesty International says Jabbari was subsequently placed in solitary confinement for two months, during which time she was tortured and denied access to an attorney.
The United Nations reports that Iran has executed more than 170 people this year, a surge that some human rights groups attribute to new President Hassan Rouhani's administration.
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Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
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