Aug 05

Statement 1633 by the Defense of Women`s Right Committee on Femicide is a systematic crime, the result of flawed laws, violence, and injustice

Femicide is a systematic crime, the result of flawed laws, violence, and injustice

Femicide in Iran is on the rise, driven by misogynistic laws, harmful beliefs and traditions, socio-economic crises, and the lack of systematic protection for women. Yet the real numbers are significantly higher than the officially recorded cases, many of which are never even reported.

So-called “honor killings” are not just isolated individual crimes—they are the product of silence, the absence of protective laws for women, flawed legislation, and a deeply rooted patriarchal culture.

According to reports from domestic media and human rights organizations, 67 honor killings were recorded in Iran in the first quarter of the year 1404 (March, June 2025): 19 in Farvardin, 27 in Ordibehesht, and 21 from early Khordad to July 8.

These murders, mostly committed by male relatives of the victims such as fathers, husbands, or close kin—once again expose the horrifying face of systemic violence, femicide, and the vulnerability of women in Iran.

Behind these acts of violence, we sometimes hear the voices of women as well: mothers, mothers-in-law, or older female relatives who, intentionally or not, participate in reinforcing misogynistic norms.

Let us not forget: existing statistics reveal only a fraction of the bitter reality of gender-based violence, a reality in which women’s lives are increasingly under constant threat from patriarchal traditions, unequal power structures, and legal voids.

These are not accidents. They are the result of lawlessness and the government’s neglect of women’s rights.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, through its persistence in discriminatory laws, its failure to criminalize domestic violence explicitly, and its inability to ensure women’s safety, bears direct responsibility for the spread of these atrocities.

The silence of the judiciary, the repression of women’s rights activists, the absence of support services, and the erasure of victims’ voices from official media all contribute to the perpetuation of these crimes.

The Dark Shadow of Femicide: Painful Reports of Women’s Murders in 1404

According to official statistics published recently, at least 85 women and girls were murdered by male relatives during the first quarters of the years 1401, 1402, and 1403.

Here are some examples from 1404 (2025):

  • Fatemeh Soltani – Islamshahr, 28 Farvardin

  • Golab Faramarzi – Dalahoo, 8 Ordibehesht

  • Fatemeh Barkhordari – Sabzevar, 10 Ordibehesht

  • Mobina Kandabi – Bandar-e-Gaz, 17 Ordibehesht

In Khordad 1404 (June 2025), two particularly shocking cases were reported:

  • Solmaz Abbasi, a well-known volleyball coach and sports figure in Urmia, was stabbed to death by her husband while visiting her lawyer’s office to follow up on her divorce. The perpetrator attempted suicide after committing the murder.

  • In the same month, Ashkan Hemmati, a 29-year-old man, entered his father-in-law’s house in Kermanshah with a firearm and shot his wife Samira Farhadi and her two sisters. Samira and her sister Samiyeh died. Zahra Farhadi lost sight in one eye and remains in critical condition.

Legal and International Frameworks:

  • Universal Declaration of Human Rights

    • Article 3: Right to life, liberty, and personal security

    • Article 5: No one shall be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment

    • Article 7: All are equal before the law

  • Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran

    • Article 20: All citizens, both men and women, are equally protected by law

    • Article 21: The state is obligated to ensure women’s rights and security

    • Article 22: The dignity, life, property, rights, residence, and occupation of individuals are inviolable

  • UNESCO 2030 Sustainable Development Goals – Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

  • Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)

    • Article 1: Definition of gender discrimination

    • Article 2: States’ obligation to eliminate discrimination and violence

    • Article 5: Combat gender stereotypes

    • Article 12: Equal access to healthcare services

Defense of Human Rights Association in Iran

Defense of Women`s Right Committee

Translated by Alireza Jahan Bin

English