Ex-Iranian soccer star’s ‘permanent’ wife’s son kicked stool to hang mum’s ‘love rival’

TEHRAN - Shahla Jahed, the ex-lover of former Iranian soccer star Nasser Mohammad Khani who was found guilty of murdering the footballer’s ‘permanent’ wife, was hanged at Tehran’s Evin prison on Thursday morning, with the victim’s son kicking away the stool on which she stood awaiting for her execution.

According to the Daily Mail, Jahed had admitted to stabbing to death Khani’s wife Laleh Saharkhizan in 2002, but she had repeatedly denied the charges against her during her trial.

Human rights activists believe her confession was forced out of her.

The victim’s family, who were present to witness the execution, had rejected last-minute appeals for clemency. Khani was also watching as Jahed spent a few moments in prayer with the noose around her neck before bursting into tears, the paper said.

Then Khani’s son, whose age is not known, stepped forward and kicked away the chair to leave her dangling, it added.

The paper quoted Jahed’s lawyer Asdolsamad Khorramshahi as saying that his client, who was a ‘temporary wife’ of Khani, just kept crying before her execution and refused to say anything.

“Shahla just kept crying. She didn’t say anything. I went forward and told her to talk but she only cried.

The victim’s family did not give their consent to proceed until the last minute. All the people who were there were asked to forgive her but unfortunately they didn’t accept. Naser Mohammad Khani was there too but said nothing,” he added.

Jahed had had reportedly spent more than eight years, 3,063 days, in the prison before she was hanged.

According to Iranian Shiite faith, men and women can marry for an agreed period of time. Men can have up to four permanent wives, and any number of temporary wives, while women can only be married to one man at a time, the paper said.

Meanwhile Karim Lahidji, the president of the Iranian League for Human Rights, has condemned the execution today describing her as ‘a victim of a misogynous society’.

“Shahla Jahed has never had a fair trial in Iran and has always insisted that she is innocent. We are approaching Human Rights Day on December 10 and once again Iran is executing another woman.

That’s a clear signal that Iran wants to challenge the world on human rights issues,” he added. (ANI)