Femicide in Khoy: Setareh Mousapour, Victim of Child and Forced Marriage, Killed by Brother-in-Law

Hengaw: Friday, April 25, 2025

Setareh Mousapour, a victim of child marriage and forced union, was shot and killed by her brother-in-law in the Qotur (Kotol) district of Khoy.

According to reports received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, on Tuesday, April 21, 2025, 18-year-old Setareh Mousapour, a resident of Gogerd village in Qotur, Khoy County, was killed by her brother-in-law with a firearm.

A close friend of Setareh told Hengaw, “She got married two years ago and had been subjected to ongoing physical and verbal abuse by her husband’s relatives because she had not become pregnant.”

A source close to the Mousapour family told Hengaw that Setareh had fled to her parents’ home three days before the killing and pleaded for help to save her life. However, under family pressure—driven by concerns over “honor”—she was forced to return to her husband’s house.

The same source stated that the perpetrator was released from prison one day after his arrest with the consent of the victim’s grandfather.

According to statistics from Hengaw’s Statistics and Documentation Center, at least 22 cases of femicide have been recorded in Iran in just the first 22 days of April 2025.

Hengaw emphasizes that femicide sits at the apex of systemic misogyny, violence, and structural discrimination against women. The Islamic Republic of Iran, through systematic deprivation of women’s fundamental rights and the implementation of misogynistic laws, not only bears direct responsibility in some cases but also actively fosters and facilitates the environment in which such crimes are committed.