Daughters, Wives, Sisters: Iran’s Silent Femicide Crisis

In Iran, women’s murders go largely unreported.

Official statistics are missing, and media accounts remain intentionally vague. Most cases are dismissed as “family disputes,” effectively concealing the reality of violence against women.

In the past two weeks, IranWire uncovered new femicide cases. On December 5, in the Miandoab district of West Azerbaijan Province, a husband killed his two sisters-in-law.

Mohadeseh and Hadiseh Jediaat are the latest victims of gender-based violence in Iran.

A source close to the Jediaat family told IranWire, “The two sisters were murdered on December 5. Mohadeseh Jediaat was a victim of child marriage. She had married a man who was severely addicted to drugs, and upon learning of his addiction, she pursued divorce seriously.

"Her request for divorce led her husband to visit Mohadeseh’s family home, where he brutally attacked Mohadeseh, her sister Hadiseh, and their mother with a knife before fleeing.”

According to the source, the injuries sustained by Mohadeseh and Hadiseh were so severe that they died on the spot. Their mother survived and is currently hospitalized.

Mohadeseh was 19 years old, and her sister Hadiseh was 17.

The source added that the man who killed Mohadeseh and Hadiseh was arrested by police hours after fleeing the crime scene.

“What’s critical to note,” the source said, “is that this man had killed another person three years ago. However, his father took responsibility for that murder, leading to his release and the dismissal of charges against him.”

Highlighting the ineffectiveness of Iran’s laws and the lack of deterrent punishments, the source asked, “Why should someone suspected of murder be released without thorough investigation, only to commit such a horrific crime again?”

Bandar Abbas: November 24

According to information obtained by IranWire, a young woman named Halimeh Habibollahi, originally from Izeh, was murdered by her husband, who was also her paternal cousin.

A source close to the family said, “Halimeh was a victim of child marriage and forced marriage. Throughout her years of marriage, she was constantly subjected to physical abuse by her husband. After killing her, he claimed that Halimeh had committed suicide, an entirely false assertion.”

Halimeh Habibollahi was only 22 years old and the mother of two young children. Her body was discovered hanging from a gas pipe.

The source added, “Halimeh lived with her husband and children in a village in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province. Some time ago, her husband took her and their children to Bandar Abbas under the pretext of visiting his sister.

"On November 22, he informed Halimeh’s family that she had hanged herself from a gas pipe handle. However, this is a big lie, and her family and those close to her are certain she was murdered by her husband, and the scene was staged to cover up the crime.”

The source also highlighted the implausibility of the alleged suicide, given Halimeh’s physical characteristics:

“Considering Halimeh’s height, it seems impossible that she could have hanged herself from such a low gas pipe, which was only about one meter off the ground.”

Halimeh’s husband was a relative. According to those close to her, Halimeh was forced into marriage with her cousin after a teenage relationship of hers was exposed.

“When this relationship became known, she was pressured by her family and relatives to marry her cousin. Throughout their marriage, she was continuously beaten and subjected to physical violence,” the source said.

Bahmai: November 15

In Bahmai, a district in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, a man killed his wife with a knife and then ended his own life. The motive for the murder, like many gender-based killings, was described as “domestic disputes.”

However, the human rights organization Hengaw reported, “On Friday, November 15, Yousef Khazeni, 40, fatally stabbed his 35-year-old wife, Sara Abdar, multiple times before hanging himself.”

A video from the couple’s burial does not mention the circumstances of their deaths, nor the fact that he murdered his wife before taking his own life.

Ghiamdasht: October 24

IranWire has learned of another murder in Ghiamdasht, a district near Shahr-e-Rey in Tehran Province. Fatemeh Amiri, a 26-year-old woman, was brutally killed by her husband.

According to sources close to the Amiri family, she was another victim of child marriage.

“Fatemeh met her husband when she was just 14. Despite her family’s strong objections, she insisted on marrying him, and they eventually got married.”

The source explained that Fatemeh’s husband and his family were notorious for their bad reputation, which was the reason behind her family’s opposition.

“Fatemeh endured 12 years in this marriage. Her husband was an addict and abusive. He would beat her over the smallest disagreements.

"Each time she fled to her parents’ home, he would threaten to kill a family member if she didn’t return.

"Out of fear for her family’s safety, Fatemeh would leave her parents’ house without revealing the threats and return to what was essentially her torture chamber.”

In 2023, Fatemeh suffered another severe beating and left her husband. At the time, she filed a complaint against him for excessive violence and death threats toward her and her family. She refused to return to their home.

“Fatemeh had two children, but after leaving her marital home, her husband denied her from visiting them.

"She tried to find a job to support herself and make her situation bearable. A year after leaving, her husband called her, claiming their children missed her and that she could visit them, but she had to come alone,” the source said.

Fatemeh, without telling anyone, took leave from work and went to Shahr-e-Rey to see her children.

She bought them clothes, took them to a restaurant, and spent a few hours with them. Later, her husband called again, asking her to bring the children to his mother’s house in Ghiamdasht.

Around noon, Fatemeh brought the children to Ghiamdasht. Under the pretext of wanting to talk, her in-laws invited her inside, where she was beaten, humiliated, and eventually murdered in front of her children.

She was killed with multiple stab wounds.

Fatemeh’s body was found on the evening of October 24. It was wrapped in blankets and a rug, stuffed into a closet, and abandoned near Chehelghaz Square, just outside Ghiamdasht.

According to sources, workers at a nearby factory discovered her body. Security camera footage led to the identification of a pickup truck used to transport her body.

Three of Fatemeh’s brothers-in-law have been arrested for their involvement in the murder, but her husband remains at large.

In Iran, official bodies do not provide accurate statistics on femicides, but Iranian newspapers have reported on it.

According to the Etemad newspaper, 78 women were murdered by their relatives or family members between March and September this year.

Shargh newspaper reported in 2023 that at least 165 women were killed by male family members between 2021 and 2023.

27 women were murdered in the first three months of 2023 alone, with “honor killings” cited as a primary motive.

These figures only account for the murders reported in various publications, and the actual number is likely much higher.