Hengaw's Monthly Report on Women's Rights Violations in Iran, January 2024

Hengaw: Tuesday, February 6, 2024

The Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights has documented In January 2024, Iran witnessed the execution of one woman in its prisons, alongside the arrest of 12 female activists and the sentencing of 17 others to imprisonment and flogging by the judicial system. Additionally, the tragic occurrence of at least nine cases of femicide was recorded across various cities in Iran during the same period.

Execution of Women in Iran

In January, at least one woman was executed in the prisons of the Islamic Republic of Iran, adding to the 22 women executed last year. Zahra Nazarian, from Sabzevar, Khorasan Razavi province, was executed on January 31, 2023, in the central prison of the city. She had previously been arrested and sentenced to death for the murder of her sister's husband.

According to the laws governing women in the Islamic Republic of Iran, there is a glaring absence of protective measures concerning domestic violence. Furthermore, the texts of the law itself in Iran not only lack protective measures against domestic violence but, rather alarmingly, provide a context for such violence against women. This legal framework fails to adequately address and prevent various forms of violence, including sexual, physical, economic, and psychological abuse, perpetuating a cycle of vulnerability and harm for women within Iranian society.

Arrests of Women Activists

During January 2024, at least 12 female activists were arrested across different cities in Iran. Among them were six Turkish individuals from Azerbaijan and Selmas, detained during a protest against the environmental consequences of a salt factory. Additionally, a student, a university professor, a lawyer, a Baha'i activist, and a female Kurdish religious activist were arrested last month.

The list of those detained includes Sorna Alipour from Shiraz, Nasrin Abdullahi from Baneh, Nilofar Sadat Hashemian from Semnan, Samia Alipour, Elnaz Alipour, Saeeda Ahmadi, Latifah Moulai, Rabab Alipour, and Susan Moulai, all from Salmas, Azita Foroghi Sadat from Mashhad, Ayat Obayat from Hamidiyeh, and Tina Deljo from Rasht.

Detention Sentences Imposed on Women Activists

According to data from the Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, at least 17 women activists from various cities in Iran were sentenced to imprisonment in January 2024. Notable individuals among them include Narges Mohammadi, the recipient of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize; Golaleh Vatandoost, a Kurdish lawyer and women's rights activist; and Maryam Akbari Monfardi, currently detained in Evin prison.

These 17 activists received sentences totaling 50 years, 7 months, and 20 days in prison. Additionally, Frishteh Mahdavi from Gorgan was sentenced to 10 months' imprisonment along with 50 lashes.

The list of sentenced activists includes:
1. Maryam Akbari Monfardi from Tehran - 3 years in prison.
2. Mahnaz, a designer from Tehran - 4 years and 4 months in prison.
3. Zainab Khaniabpour from Behbahan - 2 years in prison.
4. Farzaneh Barzekar, mother of a slain protester - 2 years in prison.
5. Nirvana Torbatinejad, a 17-year-old from Gorgan - 10 months in prison.
6. Frishteh Mahdavi from Gorgan - 10 months in prison and 50 lashes.
7. Fatemeh Haqparast from Tehran - 8 months in prison.
8. Mahbobe Bigdeli from Gachsaran - 5 months in prison.
9. Narges Mohammadi from Zanjan - 1 year and 3 months in prison.
10. Fatemeh Tehadizani from Tehran - 6 years in prison.
11. Maryam Jalali Hosseini from Tehran - 6 years in prison.
12. Golaleh Vatandoost, a lawyer from Marivan - 6 years, 7 months, and 20 days in prison.
13. Bayan Farajullahi from Sanandaj - 1 year in prison.
14. Ghazaleh Zare from Khorramabad - 3 years in prison.
15. Parisa Salehi from Karaj - 1 year in prison.
16. Maryam Javadi from Tehran - 5 years and 8 months in prison.
17. Bahareh Shiri, mother of a slain protester - 6 years in prison.

Arresting and convicting women is a prevalent form of discrimination in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Throughout the revolutionary movement of Jin, Jiyan, Azadi, pressures on women activists intensified significantly. The Islamic Republic has systematically sought to restrict social, political, and human rights activities for women, employing policies of sexual and gender segregation. Additionally, marginalized communities of sexual and gender minorities face further oppression through the criminalization of their identities, exemplifying the severity of gender apartheid policies in Iran.

Femicide Report for January 2024

According to data from the Statistics and Documents Center of the Human Rights Organization, at least 9 women were tragically killed in various cities across Iran during January 2024. Shockingly, 7 of these women fell victim to violence inflicted by their own close relatives, including spouses, sons, and brothers.

The breakdown of these tragic incidents reveals that 3 women were killed by their husbands, 2 by their brothers, 2 by their sons, and 2 by individuals outside of their immediate family circle. The methods of murder varied, with 4 women strangled, 3 shot, one bludgeoned with stones and bricks, and one set on fire.

Family disputes emerged as the leading motive behind 6 of these cases, accounting for 66.5% of the total femicides. Additionally, one case was attributed to honor killing, while two others were motivated by robbery.

Provincial Breakdown of Women's Murders:

- East Azerbaijan province: 3 cases
- Ilam province: 2 cases
- Fars province: 2 cases
- Gilan province: 1 case
- Tehran province: 1 case

Femicide represents the utmost manifestation of misogyny and gender-based violence in society. Notably, honor killings constitute only a fraction of female homicides. The root causes of femicide stem from historical, patriarchal, and misogynistic structures within society and its laws. Last year alone, Hengaw reports documented 122 cases of women murdered in Iran, with a significant portion of these tragic events perpetrated by members of the victim's immediate family. Misogynistic attitudes and legislation serve to normalize and perpetuate deep-seated animosity towards women, ultimately facilitating their senseless and tragic deaths.