Woman Who Killed Husband Dies of Heart Attack... Body Hung by Request of Mother-in-Law

Mother-in-law: "I want to see even for a moment something fall at my feet"

A post on social media by Zahra Esmaili's lawyer, who was hanged and found dead. Photo by Omid Moradi, lawyer's social media capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] A woman in Iran who was awaiting execution by hanging on charges of killing her husband died of a heart attack, but the hanging was carried out as requested by her mother-in-law.

On the 23rd, the UK Times and BBC Persian broadcasts reported that Zahra Esmaili (42) was executed by hanging while already deceased.

According to Esmaili's lawyer, who defended her for killing her husband, Esmaili was sentenced to hanging on the 17th for killing her husband who had habitually committed violence.

The husband was a senior official in the Iranian intelligence agency. It is reported that Esmaili killed him while trying to stop him from assaulting their teenage daughter.

On the day of the execution, Esmaili had to watch 16 people who were scheduled to be executed before her being hanged.

Then, before she could even step onto the chair she was supposed to stand on, Esmaili collapsed from a heart attack. She was known to have suffered from a stroke.

Esmaili's lawyer wrote on social media, "She seemed to have already stopped breathing and was dead, but her mother-in-law said, 'Kick the chair directly with your foot; I want to see Esmaili fall underfoot even for a moment,' so the lifeless body was hanged and the execution was carried out."

The Times reported, "Rajai Shahr Prison, where 17 hangings were carried out that day, is located about 40 km west of the capital Tehran," adding, "This prison is notorious for its poor detention conditions. Executing 17 people in one day is rare even in Iran."

Iran frequently carries out executions; last year, by early December, 233 executions had been carried out, the second highest number after China.

Meanwhile, the French dissident group 'National Council of Resistance of Iran' strongly condemned the news and demanded immediate action from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women.