Hengaw’s Monthly Report on Women’s Rights Violations in Iran, August 2024
Hengaw: Thursday, September 4, 2024
According to statistics compiled by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, at least 10 female activists were arrested, and 11 were sentenced to prison by the Iranian judiciary in August 2024. Additionally, at least 23 cases of femicide were recorded across various cities in Iran during the same period.
Executions of Women in Iran:
No executions of women were recorded in Iran’s prisons during August 2024.
Arrests of 10 Women in August:
In August 2024, at least 10 female activists were arrested across different cities in Iran, accounting for 11% of the total arrests this month. Of these, 6 were Kurdish female activists.
The names of the arrested women are:
Bukan:
1. Manijeh Khoshnoud
2. Pakhshan Nabizadeh
Tehran:
3. Hamraz Sadeghi
4. Zahra Tamdon
Kazerun:
5. Maryam Drisi
Piranshahr:
6. Soraya Ghaitaran
Ahvaz:
7. Mahshid Lotfi
Gilan-e Gharb:
8. Maria Khani
Mahabad:
9. Galavezh Mohammadi Arshad
Paveh:
10. Frmesk Babaei
Imprisonment Sentences for Women Activists:
In August 2024, 11 women activists were sentenced to a combined total of 40 years, 5 months, and 22 days in prison. Five of these women are from Rasht and were sentenced as part of a joint case.
The names and sentences of the women are as follows:
1. Maryam Mehrabi from Mobarakeh: sentenced to 6 years in prison
2. Soraya Qaitaran from Piranshahr sentenced to 9 months in prison
3. Anahita Dostdar from Rasht sentenced to 4 years, 1 month, and 17 days in prison
4. Anahita Hijazi from Rasht: sentenced to 4 years, 1 month, and 17 days in prison
5. Nina Golestani from Rasht: sentenced to 4 years, 1 month, and 17 days in prison
6. Rosita Rajaei from Rasht: sentenced to 4 years, 1 month, and 17 days in prison
7. Nagin Adaltakhah from Rasht: sentenced to 4 years, 1 month, and 17 days in prison
8. Parvish Muslimi from Tehran: sentenced to 3 years and 8 months in prison
9. Elham Ostadi from Iranshahr: sentenced to 1 year in prison
10. Shakila Monfard from Tehran: sentenced to 7 years and 7 months in prison
11. Hataw Akrami from Bukan: sentenced to 8 months 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.
23 Cases of Femicide in August 2024:
During August 2024, at least 23 women were killed in different cities across Iran. Of these, 17 were killed by family members, including husbands, fathers, and sons.
By perpetrators:
• 13 women were killed by their husbands
• 2 women were killed by their fathers
• 2 women were killed by their sons
• 6 women were killed by unknown individuals
Motivations:
- Out of 23 femicides, 1 case was motivated by so-called "honor.""
• 17 women were killed due to "family disputes."
• 2 women were killed with the motive of theft.
• 1 woman was killed with the intent of rape
• 2 women was killed for unknown reasons.
Breakdown of Femicide by Province:
• Tehran province: 6 cases
• Fars province: 4 cases
• Hormozgan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, and Sistan and Baluchistan provinces: 2 cases each
• Qom, Zanjan, Isfahan, Ilam, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Gilan, and Qazvin provinces: 1 case each
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 dataset, 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
