An Iranian woman convicted of murder -- in a killing that human rights groups called self-defense against a rapist -- was hanged Saturday , state news agency IRNA reported . Reyhaneh Jabbari , 26 , was sentenced to death for the 2007 killing of Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi , a former employee of Iran 's Ministry of Intelligence and Security . The United Nations has said she never received a fair trial . The U.S. State Department also said there were concerns about the trial . `` There were serious concerns with the fairness of the trial and the circumstances surrounding this case , including reports of confessions made under severe duress , '' State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Saturday . `` We condemn this morning 's execution in Iran of Reyhaneh Jabbari , an Iranian woman convicted of killing a man she said she stabbed in self-defense during a sexual assault , '' Psaki said . Jabbari 's execution was originally scheduled for September 30 , but was postponed . Amnesty International said the delay may have been in response to the public outcry against the execution . Jabbari was convicted of murder after `` a flawed investigation and unfair trial , '' according to Amnesty International . The United Nations has said Sarbandi hired Jabbari -- then a 19-year-old interior designer -- to work on his office . She stabbed him after he sexually assaulted her , it said . Jabbari was held in solitary confinement without access to her lawyer and family for two months , Amnesty International said in a statement . She was tortured during that time , the group said . `` Amnesty International understands that , at the outset of the investigation , Reyhaneh Jabbari admitted to stabbing the man once in the back , but claimed she had done so after he had tried to sexually abuse her , '' the rights group said . `` She also maintained that a third person in the house had been involved in the killing . These claims , if proven , could exonerate her but are believed never to have been properly investigated , raising many questions about the circumstances of the killing . '' Iranian Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi joined scores of Iranian artists and musicians calling for a halt to the execution . In an open letter , Farhadi asked the victim 's family to pardon her , a possibility under Iranian law . Rights groups have criticized Iran for a surge in executions under Hassan Rouhani in his first year as president . UK Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East Tobias Ellwood said he was `` very concerned and saddened '' that Jabbari had been executed , especially given the questions concerning due process in the case . `` The UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran , Dr Ahmed Shaheed , noted that her conviction was allegedly based on confessions made while under threat , and the court failed to take into account all evidence into its judgment , '' he said in a statement . `` Actions like these do not help Iran build confidence or trust with the international community . I urge Iran to put a moratorium on all executions . '' According to the United Nations , Iran has executed at least 170 people this year . Last year , it executed more people than any other country with the exception of China , the world 's most populous nation . U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon , speaking in July , said the death penalty has no place in the 21st century and urged all countries to work toward its abolition .
The State Department defended her , questions fairness of trial . Woman was sentenced to death for the 2007 murder of a former intelligence ministry official . Rights group says she was sexually assaulted and killed her attacker in self - defense . It says she was convicted of murder after ` ` a flawed investigation and unfair trial ''