Hengaw’s Monthly Report on Women’s Rights Violations in Iran - March 2024
Hengaw: Friday, March 5, 2024
Based on the statistics registered in the Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, at least one woman was executed in the prisons of the Islamic Republic of Iran in February 2024. Also, 7 female activists were arrested, and 13 were sentenced to imprisonment by the Iranian judicial system. Last month, at least 13 cases of femicide were recorded in different cities in Iran.
The death sentences carried out for women in Iran:
Last month, at least one woman was executed in the prisons of the Islamic Republic of Iran, adding to the 22 women executed last year.
The report reveals that a woman, originally hailing from Jolfa, was subjected to capital punishment along with her husband on March 21, 2024, within the confines of Tabriz Central Prison. This verdict was handed down due to her involvement in drug-related offenses. Presently, Hengaw is conducting an inquiry into the woman's identity.
According to the laws governing women in the Islamic Republic of Iran, women in Iran not only do not have any kind of protective law regarding domestic violence, but the text of the law itself approves the context for all kinds of violence, including sexual, physical, economic, and psychological violence against women.
Arrest of 6 women in March:
According to Hengaw’s statistics, at least 7 female activists were arrested in different cities of Iran during March 2024. This number is equivalent to 10.5% of the total individuals arrests in this month.
The women arrested in February include:
• Maryam Sa'dat Yahiavi from Tehran
• Avareh Heydari from Paveh, Kermanshah province
• Marzieh Khalili from Isfahan
• Sedigheh Wesmaghi from Tehran
• Bita Rasouli from Lahijan
• Laleh Saati from Tehran
• Hasti Taletalab from Mashhad
Imprisonment Sentences for Women Activists:
Based on statistics from the Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, in March 2024, at least 13 women activists in different cities of Iran, were sentenced to imprisonment. The majority of these activists (10 cases) were from Gilan Province.
According to the report, these 13 activists have collectively received 63 years and 3 months imprisonment from the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The individuals and their respective sentences are as follows:
1. Maryam Abbasi Niko, from Najafabad, Isfahan Province, has been sentenced to 6 months in prison.
2. Shabnam Tebianian, a Baha’i adherent from Semnan, has been sentenced to 6 months in prison.
3. Lale Saati, a newly converted Christian from Tehran, has been sentenced to 2 years in prison.
4. Zohreh, an active judge from Rasht, Gilan Province, has been sentenced to 9 years, 6 months, and 2 days in prison.
5. Yasmin Hashdari, an activist from Bandar- e Anzali, Gilan Province, has been sentenced to 6 years, 2 months, and 17 days in prison.
6. Shiva Shah Siah, an activist from Lahijan, Gilan Province, has been sentenced to 6 years, 2 months, and 17 days in prison.
7. Nagin Rezaei, an activist from Fuman, Gilan Province, has been sentenced to 6 years, 2 months, and 17 days in prison.
8. Forough Samiania, an activist from Rasht, Gilan Province, has been sentenced to 6 years, 2 months, and 17 days in prison.
9. Sara Jahani, an activist from Rasht, Gilan Province, has been sentenced to 6 years, 2 months, and 17 days in prison.
10. Azadeh Chavoshian, an activist from Rasht, Gilan Province, has been sentenced to 6 years, 2 months, and 17 days in prison.
11. Zahra, an active judge from Rasht, Gilan Province, has been sentenced to 6 years, 2 months, and 17 days in prison.
12. Mateen Yazdani, an activist from Rasht, Gilan Province, has been sentenced to 6 years, 2 months, and 17 days in prison.
13. Jaloh Javaheri, an activist from Rasht, Gilan Province, has been sentenced to 1 year in prison.
In the Islamic Republic of Iran, arresting and convicting women is a common practice of discrimination. The pressure on female activists increased during the Women, Life, Freedom (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi) movement. In its institutionalized form, the Islamic Republic has consistently worked to limit women's access to social, political, and human rights arenas. Gender apartheid policies in Iran are evident in the forms of sexual and gender segregation policies, as well as the criminalization of sexual and gender minorities' identities, which marginalizes them.
13 cases of femicide were recorded in March
Based on the statistics registered in the Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, in March 2024, at least 13 women were killed in different cities of Iran, 12 of whom were killed by their close relatives, including their husbands, ex-husbands, fathers, sons- in- laws, and brothers.
As per the report, 6 women were killed by their husbands, 4 women were killed by ex- husbands, one woman was killed by her son- in- law, pneumonia woman was killed by her son, and the murderer of one woman remains unknown.
According to this report, at least in 10 cases, the motive of the perpetrator was family disputes.
Femicide statistics by province:
Kermanshah province (Kermashan): 3 cases
East Azerbaijan province: 2 cases
West Azarbaijan province (Urmia): 2 cases
Tehran province: 2 cases
Khorasan-e-Razavi province: 2 cases
North Khorasan province: 1 case
Mazandaran province: 1 case
In any society, femicide is regarded as the most extreme form of misogyny. Femicide only makes up a portion of the murders that are linked to honor killings. Laws, misogynistic relationships, and patriarchy are the main causes of femicide in societies. According to Hengaw's human rights reports, there were 122 recorded femicides in Iran in the year prior, and a large number of these killings were carried out by the victims' close relatives. Laws and attitudes that promote misogyny and hatred towards women normalize the act of killing women, making it easier for predators to carry out their crimes with fewer repercussions.
