Iran postpones execution of woman who killed her alleged rapist
By Ray Sanchez, CNN
updated 2:06 PM EDT, Wed October 1, 2014
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
(CNN) -- The hanging of an Iranian woman, convicted of murder in a killing that human rights groups called self-defense against her rapist, has been delayed for 10 days, according to Amnesty International.
Reyhaneh Jabbari, 26, was sentenced to death for the 2007 killing of Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, a former employee of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security.
The United Nations' Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights says that the killing was an act of self-defense against a rapist and that Jabbari never received a fair trial.
On Wednesday, Amnesty International said in a statement that Jabbari had been transferred to a prison where, according to a message from her mother on Facebook, she was set to be executed on September 30.
But at the last minute, the execution was delayed for 10 days, the rights group said, "possibly in response to the public outcry after her mother's post about her scheduled execution." In the post, Jabbari's mother wrote that she could "collect the body" after the execution.
Amnesty International said Jabbari was convicted of murder after "a flawed investigation and unfair trial." The United Nations and international human rights groups have taken up Jabbari's cause.
A Facebook page dedicated to saving Jabbari from execution has been created, with more than 14,000 likes.
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Iran postpones execution of woman who killed her alleged rapist