Hengaw monthly report on women’s rights violations in Iran – January 2025

Hengaw: Tuesday, February 4, 2025

According to statistics compiled by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, at least 20 women activists were arrested, and three activists were sentenced to imprisonment and flogging by Iran’s judiciary in January 2025. Additionally, 18 cases of femicide were recorded in various cities across Iran. No executions of women were reported during this period.

Execution of women in Iran

No executions of women were recorded in Iranian prisons during January 2025.

Arrests of women in January 2025

At least 20 women activists were arrested in various cities across Iran in January 2025, accounting for 9% of all recorded arrests that month. Among them, six were Kurdish activists and eleven were Baha’i adherents.

The names of the arrested women are as follows:
    •    Isfahan: 1. Roya Azadkhosh 2. Nasrin Khademi 3. Mojgan Pourshafi 4. Azita Rezvanikhah 5. Boshra Motahar 6. Sara Shakib 7. Shorangiz Bahamin 8. Sanaz Rasteh 9. Maryam Khorsandi 10. Farkhondeh Rezvanpi 11. Firoozeh Rasti-Nejad
    •    Bukan: 12. Srveh Shiri 13. Bafrin Mahmoudi
    •    Sanandaj: 14. Aida Amouei
    •    Ahvaz: 15. Ahlam Bandar
    •    Mahabad: 16. Galawej Mohammadi-Arshad
    •    Sabzevar: 17. Nahid Malvandi
    •    Sarvabad: 18. Parvin Advaei
    •    Dehgolan: 19. Sohila Mataei
    •    Tehran: 20. Arghavan Fallahi

Sentences issued against female activists

In January 2025, at least three women activists were collectively sentenced to 12 years and 6 months of imprisonment in different cities across Iran. Additionally, Ghazal Marzban Joorashari was sentenced to 74 lashes alongside her prison sentence.

The names of the sentenced women are as follows:
    1.    Ghazal Marzban Joorashari, a Christian convert from Gilan, sentenced to 6 months in prison and 74 lashes.
    2.    Kokab Badaghi Panahi, a teacher from Izeh, sentenced to 6 years in prison.
    3.    Sharareh Rouhani, a Baha’i activist from Isfahan, sentenced to 6 years in prison.

The arrest and sentencing of women is a systematic form of gender-based discrimination in the Islamic Republic of Iran. During the “Woman, Life, Freedom” revolution, female activists faced heightened repression. The Iranian state has consistently restricted women’s social, political, and human rights activities since its establishment. Policies such as gender segregation, criminalization of LGBTQ+ identities, and exclusion of marginalized gender groups reinforce a state-sponsored gender apartheid system in Iran.

18 cases of femicide in January 2025

Hengaw recorded, at least 18 cases of femicide across Iran in January 2025. Of these, 16 were killed by close relatives, including husbands, brothers, and fathers.

Breakdown of femicide cases by type of perpetrator

    •    7 women were murdered by their husbands.
    •    3 women were killed by their brothers.
    •    2 women were murdered by their fathers.
    •    1 woman was killed by both her father and brother.
    •    2 women were killed by unidentified assailants.
    •    Other cases involved perpetrators such as a suitor, brother-in-law, and a friend’s son.

Reasons for the Killings:
    •    9 cases were related to domestic conflicts.
    •    Three women were killed under the so-called ‘honor’ motive.
    •    1 woman was killed during a robbery.
    •    1 woman was murdered for rejecting a marriage proposal.
    •    4 cases remain unexplained.

Breakdown of femicide by province:
    •    Lorestan: 4 cases
    •    Kermanshah (Kermashan): 3 cases
    •    West Azerbaijan (Urmia) & Kurdistan (Sanandaj): 2 cases each
    •    Other provinces (Hamedan, Gilan, Ilam, Sistan-Baluchestan, Khuzestan, Alborz, and East Azerbaijan): 1 case each

Femicide represents the most extreme manifestation of misogyny and gender-based violence in society. “Honor killings” are only a fraction of these murders, as the root cause lies in patriarchal systems, oppressive laws, and gender discrimination.

According to Hengaw’s human rights reports, 122 femicides were recorded across Iran in 2024, with the vast majority committed by close family members. The legal framework in Iran normalizes violence against women, enabling gender-based crimes to persist.

Hengaw considers the Islamic Republic of Iran to be a gender apartheid state, where the systematic oppression of women is institutionalized and legally sanctioned. The international community must recognize gender apartheid as a crime against humanity, incorporating it into international legal frameworks. The Iranian state must be held accountable for its gender-based persecution and oppressive policies against women.