Agence France Presse – Iran’s supreme court has confirmed the death sentence of a young woman convicted of murdering a relative during a burglary she and a friend committed, her lawyer said Friday.
"Delara’s (Darabi) death sentence has been confirmed by the supreme court," Abdolsamad Khoramshahi told the ISNA news agency.
"I will use all the legal procedures to defend my client’s rights and prove her innocence," Khoramshahi said.
Darabi, 20, has been in jail since she was arrested three years ago for the murder of her father’s cousin, Khoramshahi explained.
According to the semi-official Fars news agency, Darabi and a 19-year-old man, identified only as Amir Hossein, were involved in stabbing the 65-year-old woman to death.
Darabi initially confessed to the murder, but subsequently claimed she was drugged by Amir Hossein and had only been a witness.
In her first trial, she was sentenced to death and Amir Hossein to a 10-year jail term. Her death sentence was confirmed in a second trial, and Amir Hossein’s sentence increased to 13 years.
At the time of her first trial, Darabi was quoted as saying "I am a minor and I thought I would not be sentenced to death, so I took the responsibility, as Amir Hossein asked me because I loved him."
She was 17 years old at the time of the killing.
According to Iranian law, a girl may be executed from the age of nine, but offenders are not normally executed until they have reached 18.
The Law is currently being amended.
