IRAN - RAHELEH ZAMANI SCHEDULED TO BE EXECUTED BY HANGING

Raheleh Zamani, 25, was sentenced to death for murdering her husband two years ago with a steel pipe. The body of a 33 year old man was found in an oil well located on a property in Eslamshahr. While searching Mohamad's home, investigators noticed that the rugs were wet and found blood spots in the kitchen and they charged Raheleh with his murder. After her arrest and during police interrogations, Raheleh claimed responsibility for her husband's murder. In court, Raheleh explained: "On the day of the incident, I got home and I saw a strange woman in my home, who, upon seeing me, ran off into the bathroom. I confronted my husband. Mohamad yelled at me and told me that I was no longer of any use to him as a 'woman' since I had had two kids and he no longer found me attractive. When I got upset, Mohamad began beating me and threw me out of the house. After a few hours I returned to my house and Mohamad threatened to kill me. He gave me some pills to calm my nerves, I took them, went to the storage room, picked up a steel pipe and went to where Momhad was laying down and beat him.” Raheleh appears to have been suffering from severe post-partum depression during the incident (she had given birth to the couple's second child only a month and half prior to the incident). Further, based on her husband's abusive treatment of her over the years, she also portrayed classic signs of battered-women's syndrome. Raheleh was found guilty of pre-meditated first degree murder, and was sentenced to death by hanging. Raheleh's execution is scheduled to take place on December 20.