A man who beheaded his 17-year-old wife has been sentenced to eight years in prison in Iran, the judiciary says.
Images of Sajjad Heydari carrying Mona’s severed head in Ahvaz after the so-called “honour killing” last year caused widespread outrage.
A judiciary spokesman said the leniency of the sentence was due to Mona’s parents having “pardoned” him for the murder rather than seeking retribution.
Her father previously said that he had not given his consent for the killing.
Mona had been married to her husband since the age of 12 and had given birth to their son when she was only 14.
Local media reported that she had fled to Turkey after allegedly being subjected to domestic violence by her husband, who had refused her requests for a divorce.
She had returned to Iran a few days before her murder last February because she had reportedly received assurances from her family that she would be safe.
Judiciary spokesman Massoud Setayeshi told reporters on Wednesday that Sajjad Heydari had been sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison for murder and an additional eight months for assault.
He explained that the verdict was in line with Iranian law, under which intentional murder is punishable by death unless the family of the victim forgives the killer.
Mona’s brother-in-law was given a 45-month sentence for complicity in the murder, he said.
The gruesome killing prompted fresh demands in Iran for a law aimed at preventing domestic violence and protecting victims. (BBC)