Iran executes woman over killing four-year-old stepdaughter

Iran on Saturday executed a woman in the country's northwest after convicting her of killing her four-year-old stepdaughter, the judiciary said.

The child, identified as Ava, died in December 2023 after sustaining brain injuries caused by wounds inflicted by her stepmother, the judiciary's Mizan Online news outlet reported at the time.

Following legal proceedings, the woman was sentenced in March 2024 to qisas -- Islamic law of retribution -- a punishment which allows the family of a victim to demand the death penalty.

The sentence was later upheld by the Supreme Court.

Naser Atabati, the chief justice of West Azerbaijan province -- where the crime took place -- said the execution was carried out at dawn on Saturday, adding that Ava's mother "had firmly demanded" retribution.

The authorities did not name the executed woman.

Iran, which retains the death penalty for crimes including murder and rape, typically carries out executions by hanging at dawn.

Iran is the world's second most prolific user of the death penalty after China, according to human rights groups including Amnesty International.