Leila Maqsoudi, mother of five, killed by half-brother in femicide case

Hengaw – Saturday, May 30, 2026

Leila Maqsoudi, a 42-year-old woman from Showt in West Azerbaijan Province (Urmia), was killed by her half-brother with the involvement of other family members in a femicide reportedly motivated by what they described as the preservation of “family honor.” Maqsoudi, the mother of five children, was also a survivor of child marriage.

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Maqsoudi was killed on Friday, May 22, 2026, when her half-brother struck her with an axe. After carrying out the killing, he fled the country.

Informed sources told Hengaw that Maqsoudi had endured years of infidelity and physical abuse during her marriage before eventually divorcing her husband. She worked as a seamstress but lost her livelihood following the outbreak of the war. Struggling to pay rent, she turned to her family for support.

Sources said her brothers offered financial assistance on the condition that she sign a written pledge agreeing not to leave the family home and to stop working. Maqsoudi refused.

A source familiar with the case stated that the resulting financial hardship ultimately forced her to return to her family home. During a gathering attended by her siblings, she was allegedly given poisoned fruit juice and lost consciousness. While unconscious, one of her half-brothers struck her in the head with an axe, shattering her skull and killing her.

Maqsoudi was buried in silence, with only immediate family members present. Relatives reportedly prevented others from attending the funeral and did not permit the distribution of public funeral notices.

No complaint has been filed by Maqsoudi’s children or other relatives. The public prosecutor is currently the sole plaintiff in the case.