Femicide in Iran: Brother Kills Sister in the Name of “Honor”

Hengaw; Sunday, April 28, 2024

A young woman identified as Sajedeh from Mashhad, located in the Khorasan Razavi province, was killed by her brother under what are referred to as “honor” motives. This incident marks the sixth case of femicide and the second case of honor killing in Razavi Khorasan Province within the past four months.

According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights on Thursday, April 25, 2024, Sajedeh, aged 23 and originally from the village of Koor Deh, a suburb of Mashhad, was murdered by her 17-year-old brother.

State and local media reports indicate that the family of the victim initially attempted to attribute her death to natural causes after transferring her body to the hospital.

The 17-year-old perpetrator, identified as Hanzaleh, confessed after his arrest that he felt humiliated by the community following his sister’s divorce. To prevent what he perceived as dishonor, he suffocated his sister in a rural stall.

According to data compiled by the Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Razavi Khorasan province has witnessed at least six cases of femicide during the first four months of 2024, with two being classified as honor killings.