Hengaw’s Monthly Report on Women’s Rights Violations in Iran, September 2024

Hengaw; Sunday, September 6, 2024

According to statistics compiled by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, at least eight female activists were arrested, and six were sentenced to prison in September 2024. Additionally, at least 15 cases of femicide were reported in various cities across Iran during the same month.

Execution of Women in Iran

In September 2024, no executions of women were recorded in the prisons of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Arrest of 8 Women in September 2024:

At least eight female activists were arrested in various cities across Iran in September, constituting 8.5% of all arrests. Of these, three were Kurdish activists and three were Baha’i activists.

The names of the arrested women are as follows:

    1.    Mina Soltani – Bukan
    2.    Srwa Rashidi – Bukan
    3.    Mojdeh Fallahi – Shiraz
    4.    Negar Misaghian – Shiraz
    5.    Parastu Ahmadi – Marivan
    6.    Soudabeh Mahdinejad – Gorgan
    7.    Azam Azmoudeh – Tabriz
    8.    Fereshteh Souri – Hamedan

Imprisonment Sentences for Women Activists:

At least six female activists were collectively sentenced to a total of 14 years in prison in September 2024, with one of these women also receiving a sentence of 74 lashes.

The names of the sentenced women are as follows:

    1.    Shiva Kashaninejad – Rasht (2 years)
    2.    Mojgan Samimi – Rasht (2 years)
    3.    Nasim Gholami Simyari – Alamut, Qazvin (6 years and 74 lashes)
    4.    Mahbubeh Ramazani – Shahriar (1 year and 6 months)
    5.    Rahimeh Yusefzadeh – Shahriar (1 year and 6 months)
    6.    Prshang Azizi – Mahabad (1 year)

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.

15 Cases of Femicide in September 2024:

Hengaw recorded at least 15 cases of femicide in various cities across Iran in September 2024. Fourteen of the victims were killed by close relatives, including husbands, fathers, and brothers.

By perpetrators:
    1.    Six women killed by their husbands
    2.    Six women killed by their fathers, brothers, sons, cousins, and a rejected suitor.
3.⁠ ⁠Two women killed by their sisters’ husbands
    4.    One woman killed by an unknown assailant

Motivations:

    •    Honor killings accounted for 4 of these cases.
    •    Family disputes were the motive behind 8 murders.
    •    Dowry disagreements led to 2 murders.
    •    Robbery was cited in 1 case.

Breakdown of Femicide by Province:

    •    Tehran Province: 4 cases
    •    East Azerbaijan, Sistan and Baluchistan, Gilan, and Markazi Provinces: 4 cases each
    •    Ilam, North Khorasan, and Khuzestan 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.