Hengaw’s Monthly Report on Women’s Rights Violations in Iran, April 2024
Hengaw: Monday, May 6, 2024
Based on the statistics registered in the Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, at least three women were executed in the prisons of the Islamic Republic of Iran in April 2024. Also, 15 female activists were arrested, and five were sentenced to imprisonment by the Iranian judicial system. Last month, at least 17 cases of femicide were recorded in different cities in Iran.
The death sentences carried out for women in Iran:
Last month, at least three women were executed in the prisons of the Islamic Republic of Iran, adding to the 22 women executed last year.
According to this report, Marjan Hajizadeh, hailing from Shain Dej, was executed in Zanjan Prison along with a Baloch woman, whose identity remains unknown, in Birjand Prison, who was also subjected to capital punishment on charges related to drug crimes. Additionally, another female prisoner named Soraya Muhammadi was executed at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj on charges of premeditated murder.
Arrest of 15 women in April:
According to Hengaw’s statistics, at least 15 female activists were arrested in different cities of Iran during April 2024. This number is equivalent to 11.2% of the total individual arrests in this month.
The women arrested in February include:
1. Maryam Basir Tawana from Fuman, Gilan Province
2. Mehsa Basir Tawana from Fuman, Gilan Province
3. Mina Khajovi Qomi from Tehran
4. Samaneh Asghari from Tehran
5. Hasti Amiri from Tehran
6. Nafiseh Latifian from Tehran
7. Negar Abedzadeh from Tehran
8. Atena Farghdani from Tehran
9. Dina Qalibaf from Tehran
10. Aida Shakrami from Tehran
11. Khadijeh Mehdipour from Eyvan, Ilam province
12. Hasti Talatalab from Mashhad
13. Fahimeh Soltani from Isfahan
14. Parisa Salehi from Karaj
15. Maryam Zalaki from Ahvaz
Imprisonment Sentences for Women Activists:
Based on statistics from the Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, in April 2024, at least five women activists in different cities of Iran were sentenced to imprisonment. For example, Soma Mohammadpour is a Kurdish language volunteer teacher who was given an incarceration sentence.
According to the report, these five activists have collectively received 27 years of imprisonment from the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The individuals and their respective sentences are as follows:
1- Shakiba Yazdani of Sabzevar has received a one-year prison sentence.
2- Parveen Mirasan, hailing from Shiraz, has been sentenced to four years of incarceration.
3- Arghawan Fallahi, also from Shiraz, has been sentenced to a two-year prison term.
4- Soma Purmohammadi, residing in Sanandaj, has been condemned to eleven years of imprisonment.
5- Farhnaz Nikkho, a resident of Tehran, has been sentenced to ten years of incarceration.
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.
17 cases of femicide were recorded in April
Based on the data registered in the Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, in April 2024, at least 17 women were killed in different cities of Iran, 13 of whom were killed by their close relatives, including their husbands, ex-husbands, fathers, and brothers.
As per the report, 8 women were killed by their husbands, 1 woman was killed by her ex-husband, 3 women were killed by their brothers, 1 woman was killed by her boyfriend, and the murderer of 6 women remains unknown.
According to the report, "honor killing" was the pretext in at least three cases. Family disputes were identified as the motive in nine cases, while financial differences were reported in three other instances. The reasons behind the remaining cases are currently unknown.
Femicide statistics by province:
Razavi Khorasan province: 4 cases
Tehran province: 4 cases
Isfahan Province: 2 cases
East Azerbaijan province: 1 case
Khuzestan province: 1 case
Sistan and Balouchistan province: 1 case
Gilan province: 1 case
Fars province: 1 case
Merkazi Province: 1 case
Lorestan province: 1 case
Femicide is regarded as the most extreme form of misogyny in society. 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.
