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

Hengaw: Wednesday, March 5, 2025

According to statistics compiled by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, during February 2025, at least 10 female activists were arrested, and 4 female activists were sentenced to imprisonment or execution by Iran’s judicial system. Additionally, at least 16 cases of femicide and 3 executions of women were recorded in various cities across Iran.

Execution of women in Iran

In February 2025, at least three women were executed in different prisons across Iran. All three had previously been sentenced to death on murder charges. Their names are as follows:
    1.    Maryam Kaviani, from Khorramabad, was executed in Khorramabad Central Prison.
    2.    Mahtab Qazizadeh, from Sari, was executed in Sari Central Prison.
    3.    A woman with the surname Bagherinejad, from Shiraz, was executed in Adelabad Prison, Shiraz.

Arrests of women in February 2025

At least 10 female activists were arrested by security forces last month, accounting for 8% of total arrests in February. Their names are as follows:

Women Arrested:
    •    Tehran:
    1.    Saeedeh Montazeri
    2.    Minu Rozedar
    3.    Golareh Abbasi
    4.    Hiwa Seifizadeh
    •    Rasht:
 5.⁠ ⁠Hamideh Zarei
 6.⁠ ⁠Nazila Khanipour
    •    Dehdasht:
 7.⁠ ⁠Atefeh Tahernia
    •    Babol:
 8.⁠ ⁠Somayeh Rajabi
    •    Karaj:
 9.⁠ ⁠Fariba Misaghi
    •    British Citizen:
10.⁠ ⁠Lindsey Foreman

Sentences issued against female activists

In February 2025, at least three female activists were sentenced to a total of 10 years and one day of imprisonment in various cities across Iran. Additionally, Sharifeh Mohammadi, a Turk labor rights activist, was sentenced to execution.

The names of the women sentenced to execution, or imprisonment are as follows:
    1.    Sharifeh Mohammadi, a Turk labor rights activist from Rasht, was sentenced to death.
    2.    Nazila Khanipour, a Baha’i adherent from Rasht, was sentenced to two years and one day in prison.
    3.    Masoumeh Askarbeigi, a teacher from Tehran, was sentenced to three years in prison.
    4.    Nayereh Behbood, an activist from Tehran, was sentenced to five years in prison.

The arrest and sentencing of women remains a systematic discriminatory policy in the Islamic Republic of Iran. During the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” (Women, Life, Freedom) revolutionary movement, pressure on female activists intensified significantly.
Since its establishment, the Islamic Republic of Iran has systematically sought to suppress women’s political, social, and human rights activism. The state enforces gender segregation policies and marginalizes gender and sexual minorities through criminalizing their identities, making gender apartheid a serious state policy in Iran.

16 cases of femicide in February 2025

16 women were murdered in different cities across Iran in February 2025. All 16 cases were perpetrated by people close to the victims, including husbands and family members.
    •    10 women were killed by their husbands
    •    2 women were murdered by their fathers
    •    1 woman was killed by her brother
    •    1 woman was murdered by her son-in-law
    •    1 woman was killed by her brother-in-law
    •    1 woman was murdered by a coworker

Motive for the Killings:
    •    13 cases were due to family disputes.
    •    3 cases were due to “honor” motives, divorce intentions, or robbery.

Breakdown of femicide by province:
    •    East Azerbaijan, Golestan, and Hamedan: 3 cases each
    •    Fars, Tehran, Alborz, Qazvin, Kermanshah (Kermashan), Sistan- Baluchestan, and Gilan: 1 case each

Femicide represents the most extreme form of misogyny in society. So-called “honor killings” are only a small fraction of femicides, as the root cause lies in patriarchal social structures, historical inequalities, and gender-discriminatory laws.
Hengaw has recorded 122 femicide cases in Iran last year, most of which were committed by close family members. The legal system and misogynistic ideology in Iran have normalized violence against women.
Hengaw considers the Islamic Republic of Iran to be a gender apartheid state, where systematic violence against women is legally institutionalized. The international community must recognize gender apartheid as a “crime against humanity” and classify Iran’s government as a gender apartheid system, making its policies and laws explicitly anti-women punishable under international law.