In an interview with ISNA (Iranian Student News Agency), Mohammad Mostafei the attorney for Nazanin Fatehi stated that: “According to Islamic (Republic of Iran’s) Penal law 629-B, when a person who is subjected to an attempted rape commits a murder, s/he should not be penalized. Nazanin was arrested in 2005 and the year after she was sentenced to death and after appeal…the sentence was vacated… my client was ordered to pay blood money retribution.”

He added: “If Nazanin was not sentenced to death; first she did not have to spend more than 2 years in prison and secondly she was not required to pay blood money.

Considering that my client was defending her own her niece’s chastity , Nazanin’s other attorney (Shadi Sadr) and I believe that she does not deserve any punishments including paying blood money, therefore I have filed an objection to that part of the verdict within the time allowed,” said Mostafaei.

In January 2007, the 5 appeal judges unanimously agreed that Nazanin Fatehi had acted in self defense, however instead of assuming responsibility for the unjust imprisonment of a 17 year old for 3 years under the emotional torture of a death sentence , they still demanded that Nazanin pays blood money to the family of the murdered rapist.

Effective March 20, 2007 Iran’s judiciary has increased the payment of Blood money.