Maryam Dehkordi

IranWire

At least 16 women have been killed by male relatives in Iran over the past 40 days, IranWire reports.

The killings, which occurred between April and May, spanned multiple cities from Shahroud to Mashhad and Kermanshah to Firouzabad.

In many instances, the third day of mourning for one victim coincided with the burial of another woman elsewhere in the country.

Sources close to the victims revealed a pattern of domestic abuse, control, and violence that ultimately ended in murder.

Rights activists attribute the deaths to a combination of patriarchal attitudes, inadequate legal protections, and cultural norms that normalize violence against women who seek independence.

On May 17, the recreational area of Amirieh in Shahroud became a crime scene when police discovered the lifeless body of 20-year-old Yasaman Nosrati inside an abandoned Peugeot. Her body showed clear signs of strangulation and neck trauma.

Women's rights activist Pardis Rabiei, who first published photos of the young woman, told IranWire, “According to Yasaman’s relatives, police arrested her 26-year-old husband as the primary suspect without hesitation, and he confessed to the murder during the early stages of interrogation.”

Just two years into their marriage, Yasaman’s life had become a prison. Her husband, paranoid that she was seeing someone else, tried to control every aspect of her life.

A source close to Yasaman's family said, “His distrust drove their relationship to the brink of collapse. He had threatened her many times before, and ultimately lured her to the outskirts of the city, where he strangled her with a belt.”

What haunts those who knew Yasaman is how hard she had tried to help her husband.

“One of Yasaman’s biggest struggles was her husband’s constant need for control. He had a disturbing sense of ownership over her,” the source explained.

“She repeatedly asked him to confront his psychological problems and seek professional help instead of resorting to bullying, intimidation, and violence - requests he never took seriously. He chose violence over professional help and the rule of law.”

Meanwhile, in a village in southern Fars Province, Eliana Kouhi - forced into an arranged marriage with a much older man - had finally summoned the courage to seek separation after years of abuse and giving birth to two children.

Her mother, Farideh Bagheri, stood by her, supporting her decision to escape the violence.

That solidarity cost both women their lives.

A source close to Eliana’s family told IranWire, “She was repeatedly subjected to physical and psychological abuse from her husband. Just a day before the murder, he threatened to kill her if she complained about him or pursued a divorce.”

The threat became a reality - not only for Eliana but for her mother as well.

“Farideh Bagheri, Eliana’s kind and smiling mother, lost her life simply for standing up against violence,” the source said. “The son-in-law, a close relative of Farideh’s husband, murdered her just because she supported her daughter’s decision to separate.”

Their funeral was held on May 18. These killings are not isolated crimes - they highlight how dangerous it can be for women in a society where their independence is seen as a threat.

Eliana and Farideh are among many women including Shohreh Bavaghar in Bandar Abbas, Ghazaleh Hodoudi in Sanandaj, and Tahereh Khodami in Kerman, who were killed for rejecting forced marriages or attempting to leave abusive relationships.

On May 7, IranWire reported another murder: Ma'edeh Khatibian, originally from Zahedan, was killed by her husband in Mashhad.

Ma'edeh’s story is one of a stolen childhood. Married to her cousin Amir Hossein at just 14 years old, she entered a life marked by brutality and isolation.

“She was beaten repeatedly by her husband over the years,” relatives told IranWire. “It even happened in the presence of others. Ma’edeh lived in deeply inhumane conditions.”

After the marriage, her husband’s family moved her to Mashhad, deliberately cutting her off from her mother.

“It was a forced isolation that placed her in a very sad situation,” the source explained.

Now, Ma’edeh’s two-year-old child lives with paternal grandparents, while her own family is denied visitation rights.

Her husband’s family has attempted to justify the murder by accusing Ma’edeh of “moral issues and immorality,” and is pressuring her family to consent to his release.

A source close to the case denied the allegations: “Ma’edeh did not engage in any immoral behavior. She simply voiced complaints about the violence she suffered at the hands of her husband and his family. Her husband continuously subjected her to physical and mental abuse. He beat her even over trivial matters, like being late with meals.”

“Her uncle, who was also her father-in-law, was an intrusive and ill-tempered man who incited his son to violence against Ma’edeh.”

“Now, he’s trying to secure the family’s consent for release, knowing that moral accusations might make them regret pursuing justice.”

This disturbing pattern, where accusations of immorality are weaponized to justify murder, reveals how patriarchal structures create environments in which domestic violence is normalized, and even endorsed.

Official bodies in Iran do not publish accurate statistics on femicides, though such cases are frequently reported in local newspapers.

According to Etemad newspaper, 78 women were murdered by relatives between March and September of last year.

In 2023, Shargh newspaper reported that at least 165 women were killed by male relatives between 2021 and 2023. Of those, 27 were murdered in the first three months of 2023 alone, with "honor killings" cited as a primary motive.

These figures represent only the reported cases. The true number of femicides is likely much higher.