Home / Iran / Setayesh Ghoreyshi
Solved / adjudicated

The Murder of Setayesh Ghoreyshi

Setayesh Ghoreyshi, a young girl from Iran's Afghan community, was killed in 2016. Amirhossein Pourjafar was convicted of her rape and murder while still a juvenile offender; he was later executed in January 2018 after turning 18.

Non-graphic editorial artwork representing Iran
CountryIran
RegionTehran province
DateApril 2016
VictimSetayesh Ghoreyshi
OutcomeConviction; execution

Quick answer

Was Setayesh Ghoreyshi's murder adjudicated? Yes. Amirhossein Pourjafar was convicted of rape and murder for the 2016 crime and sentenced to death. He was 16 at the time of the offense and was executed on January 4, 2018 after turning 18.

Setayesh and the record

Setayesh was a child from Iran's marginalized Afghan community. Published English-language sources differ on whether she was six or seven years old: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, drawing on AFP, BBC Persian and Reuters, described her as six, while Amnesty International described her as seven. Crime by Region preserves that discrepancy rather than presenting a false precision.

Her Afghan background matters because established human-rights reporting specifically noted the social marginalization of the community and the public attention the case generated. Nothing about nationality or migration status is treated as evidence about the victim.

Investigation and criminal judgment

Pourjafar was arrested in April 2016. Amnesty International reported that he was sentenced to death six months later after being convicted of Setayesh's rape and murder. The organization also recorded that he was 16 when the crime occurred.

Setayesh was killed and Amirhossein Pourjafar was arrested.

Pourjafar was convicted of rape and murder and sentenced to death.

An execution date was announced but later postponed following international pressure.

Iranian authorities executed Pourjafar in Karaj prison.

Execution and juvenile-offender controversy

The murder conviction is a judicial fact. Separately, the punishment became an international human-rights issue because Pourjafar was under 18 when the offense was committed. Amnesty International, United Nations experts and the European Union said executing a person for a crime committed as a child conflicted with Iran's international obligations.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that Iranian authorities carried out the execution on January 4, 2018. The European External Action Service separately confirmed the date and reiterated the European Union's opposition to the death penalty.

Editorial distinction: Criticism of the execution does not erase the criminal conviction, and the existence of the conviction does not erase the separate legal question about capital punishment for juvenile offenders. Both are part of the documented record.
Advertisement

Sources and verification

Victim-aware note: Graphic descriptions of the assault and attempts to conceal the crime are omitted. They are not necessary to understand the investigation, conviction or legal controversy.