Iran is one of only six countries that have not signed the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and women living there are denied even the most basic rights over their bodies, relationships, children, education, and employment.
Meanwhile, men are allowed to beat and even kill their wives and children, which means that violence against women is not only prevalent but also sanctioned by law.
Let’s look at just some of the so-called honor killings, which account for 50 percent of homicides, that occurred since February because of the misogynistic policies of the ayatollahs and the laws that allow men to kill women with impunity.
Mandatory Hijab State-Sponsored Violence Against Women in Iran
February 2020
- Kowsar Gol Soghanloo, 15, was set on fire by her husband
March 2020
- Hadith, 11, was strangled to death by her father after he realized that he would not receive a harsh punishment for murdering her
May 2020
- Hajareh Hussein Bor, 20, was murdered by her husband after repeatedly complaining of domestic violence
- Romina Ashrafi, 13, was beheaded with a sickle by her father, even after telling a judge that he was abusing her
- Sarina Ghafouri, 25, was killed by her brother who wanted to stop her from remarrying
June 2020
- Fatemeh Barhi, 19, was beheaded by her husband after she tried to leave him
- Mina was killed by her ex-husband
- Somayeh Fathi, 18, was killed by her father and brother, even though she was pregnant
- Reyhaneh Ameri, 22, was killed by her father with an ax, three years after he was first caught trying to murder her
July 2020
- A young woman from Maragheh was set on fire by her husband on July 23, following repeated requests for divorce that were ignored by the judicial authorities
- A 20-year-old was put in a coma after her father hit her with a hammer
- Parang Ghazi was killed in a brutal assault by her husband
- Fatemeh Ghozati, 16, died after being thrown from an 11th-floor window by her step-uncle, but the death was labeled a suicide despite complaints made by her mother who had seen the crime
August 2020
- Fatemeh Kebriaei, 28, was killed by her husband during a violent assault after she left him.
- Leila was shot dead by her husband just minutes after he was released from prison for trying to kill her with an ax.
- Fatemeh Hawasi, 16, was shot dead by her brother
- Maryam Atmani, was set on fire by her husband and died
“Under the current regime, the prevailing medieval view is that officially and in all laws, women are second-class citizens and subservient to men. This idea is part of the mullahs’ ideological pillar on the basis of all policies,” the Iranian opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) wrote.
“In a structure such as the one in Iran, even if the killer is punished, a state assassination adds to the regime’s crimes and spreads the killing. However, the context and form of the issue still remain, and the men of this intellectual apparatus are increasingly driven to brutal behavior,” the NCRI added.
