Iran's judiciary reports that a man who decapitated his 17-year-old wife has been given an eight-year jail sentence.
Following the so-called "honor killing" last year, pictures of Sajjad Heydari carrying Mona's severed head in Ahvaz sparked fury among the public.
According to a judicial spokeswoman, Mona's parents "pardoned" him for the murder rather than pursuing retaliation, which is why the punishment was so lenient.
Her father had earlier claimed that he had not authorized the assassination.
Mona gave birth to their baby when she was just 14 years old and had been married to her husband since she was 12 years old.
She reportedly went to Turkey after her husband allegedly beat her up and refused to grant her a divorce, according to local media.
A few days before her death in February of last year, she had returned to Iran after allegedly receiving assurances from her family that she would be safe.
According to judicial spokesperson Massoud Setayeshi, Sajjad Heydari was given a seven-and-a-half-year jail term for murder and an extra eight months for assault on Wednesday.
He clarified that the decision was by Iranian law, which holds that purposeful murder is punished by death unless the victim's family pardons the offender.
He said that Mona's brother-in-law received a 45-month term for his involvement in the murder.
The horrifying murder renewed calls in Iran for legislation to stop domestic abuse and protect victims.
There were also requests to raise the marital age requirement for raising children. Although it is currently fixed at 13, females as young as 12 can lawfully wed with the court and parental approval.
A similar uproar followed the beheading of 14-year-old Romina Ashrafi by her father in 2020, allegedly as a result of her running away from home with her boyfriend. Before killing his daughter, the father sought legal advice on the potential severity of his penalty. He was given nine years in jail, one less than the maximum permissible under the law.
Following that, the government passed a draft bill that would make some types of violence against women illegal. Parliament has not yet approved it, and a UN independent expert has stated that it is insufficient.
Anti-government protests are presently rocking Iran after a young lady who was arrested by morality police in September for reportedly wearing her hijab, or headscarf, "improperly," died while they were holding her.
In connection with the protests, four individuals have already been put to death, while another 18 have received death sentences. According to human rights organizations, they were found guilty following blatantly unjust mock trials.
