{"id":30372,"date":"2026-02-04T06:21:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T11:21:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=30372"},"modified":"2026-02-04T06:21:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T11:21:41","slug":"somali-woman-executed-for-murdering-a-child-in-a-case-that-sparked-outrage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2026\/02\/04\/somali-woman-executed-for-murdering-a-child-in-a-case-that-sparked-outrage\/","title":{"rendered":"Somali woman executed for murdering a child in a case that sparked outrage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The authorities in Puntland, a semi\u2011autonomous region of Somalia, have executed a woman convicted of murdering a 14\u2011year\u2011old girl, in a rare case in the region in which the death penalty has been carried out against a woman.<\/b><\/p>\n

Hodan Mohamud Diiriye, 34, was killed by firing squad on Tuesday in the city of Galkayo after a court found her guilty of beating to death a teenager who had been working as a domestic helper.<\/p>\n

Saabirin Saylaan’s killing in November sparked protests in Galkayo, along with renewed calls for greater child protection.<\/p>\n

The case touched a deep nerve in a country where child abuse often goes unreported, especially when it occurs inside extended families.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Officials said the sentence was carried out under “qisas”, an Islamic legal principle that allows the family of a murder victim to demand execution rather than accept financial compensation.<\/p>\n

A decree in the Mudug region, where the murder happened, requires Islamic law to be enforced in such cases.<\/p>\n

Members of both Saabirin’s family and Diiriye’s family were present when the sentence was carried out, according to Faysal Sheikh Ali, Mudug’s governor.<\/p>\n

The Puntland authorities said this was the first time in more than 10 years that a woman had been executed there under a retaliatory sentence.<\/p>\n

The last known execution of a woman occurred in 2013, when 13 members of the Islamist militant group al\u2011Shabab, including one woman, were executed by firing squad for their involvement in the killing of a prominent Islamic scholar, the authorities said at the time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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