Hengaw Report on Systematic Violations of Women’s Rights in Iran Marking March 8
Download the PDF file of the March 8 report, including the list of names
This documented report, prepared on the occasion of March 8, 2025, focuses on the violation of women’s rights in Iran throughout 2024. It covers the execution of women, the arrest of women, the sentencing of women, and femicide cases in Iran over the past year.
According to statistics from the Statistics and Documentation Center of Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, in 2024, at least 30 female prisoners were executed in Iranian prisons, 141 women were arrested, and 136 female activists were sentenced to imprisonment, execution, or flogging by the judiciary of Islamic Republic of Iran. Additionally, 191 cases of femicide were recorded across the country.
30 women executed in Iran in 2024
At least 30 women were executed in various prisons across Iran in 2024, accounting for 3.5% of all executions this year. This marks an increase of at least eight executions compared to 2023, reflecting a 36% rise in the number of women executed.
According to data recorded by Hengaw’s statistics center, 17 women (57%) were executed on murder charges, while 13 women (43%) faced execution for drug-related offences.
The highest number of executions of women occurred in East Azerbaijan (5 cases) and South Khorasan (4 cases). Additionally, Alborz and Razavi Khorasan provinces recorded three executions each. In Ilam, Lorestan, and Zanjan, two women were executed, while one execution was reported in the provinces of Mazandaran, Gilan, Hamedan, Yazd, Kerman, Fars, Qazvin, West Azerbaijan (Urmia), and Isfahan.
Among the executed women, at least 9 were Turks, 2 were Kurds, 2 were Balochs, 2 were Gilaks, and 1 was Lor.
Hengaw has verified the identities of 19 of these women, including Zahra Nazarian, Hajar Atabaki, Marjan Hajizadeh, Soraya Mohammadi, Fariba Mohammadzehi, Razieh (surname unknown), Parvin Mousavi, Fatemeh Abdollahi, (first name unknown) Mahmoudinia, Zahra Feizi, Akhtar Ghorbanlou, Nastaran Firuzi, Mahrokh Khani, Fariba Maleki Shiravand, Farideh Jafarzadeh, Alieh Kavari Zadeh, Farrokhandeh Allahmoradi, Ameneh Alipour, and Efat Hamedi. The identities of the remaining 11 women are still under investigation.
The systematic violation of women’s rights in Iran is an integral part of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s gender-based oppression and broader social repression. Iran continues to hold the highest global record for executing women, and with at least 30 executions in 2024, the state has surpassed its own past records.
The execution of women is deeply tied to state-sponsored femicide and institutionalized violence. A significant portion of women executed for common crimes, particularly murder and drug-related offenses, were victims of domestic violence, economic marginalization, and patriarchal legal structures. Many women convicted of murder acted in self-defense against abusive partners or family members. Meanwhile, drug-related convictions disproportionately affect women trapped in cycles of poverty and systemic financial dependence, as Iranian laws hinder women’s economic independence.
Regardless of the charges, all executions represent a systemic human rights violation, and the increasing number of women executed under these pretexts is a serious warning of Iran’s expanding oppression against women.
At least 141 women arrested in Iran in 2024
Last year, at least 141 women were arrested by security forces across various cities in Iran. Their full identities have been verified by Hengaw.
Among those arrested, 3 were under the age of 18, 14 were from justice-seeking families, 4 were teachers or university professors, 10 were university students, 2 were lawyers or legal experts, and 7 were arrested for opposing compulsory hijab.
Ethnic/National Breakdown
Of the 141 arrested women:
• 32 were Kurdish activists
• 21 were Gilak activists
• 12 were Turk activists
• 7 were Lor activists
• 3 were Baloch activists
• 3 were Arab activists
• 56 were Persian activists
• The ethnic/national backgrounds of 7 others remain unknown
Additionally, among the arrested women, 15 were Baha’i activists, 4 were Christian activists, and 1 was a Sunni Muslim activist.
List of arrested women by city
Tehran:
1. Nahid Khodajo
2. Maryam Sadat Yahyavi
3. Sedighe Vothamqi
4. Laleh Saati
5. Hasti Amiri
6. Nafiseh Latifian
7. Negar Abedzadeh
8. Atena Farghadani
9. Dina Ghalibaf
10. Mina Khajavi Ghomi
11. Motahereh Gounei
12. Saba Azarpeyk
13. Hora Nikbakht
14. Samira Najatian
15. Mozhgan Salmanzadeh
16. Pariyush Moslemi
17. Moloud Safa’i
18. Hamraz Sadeqi
19. Zahra Tamadon
20. Motahereh Gounei (detained a second time for sentence execution)
21. Nireh Behbud
22. Ahoo Daryayi
23. Roshanak Mola’i Alishah
24. Zahra Reza’i
25. Mahvash Seyedal Tadouei
26. Shima Azam Farzan
27. Masoumeh Sokari
Rasht:
1. Tina Deljou
2. Nazila Khani-Pour
3. Hamideh Zarei
4. Mehta Sadri
5. Zahra Dadras
6. Zahra Dadras
7. Forough Samian
8. Azadeh Chavoshian
9. Jelveh Javaheri
10. Matin Yazdani
11. Mahsa Jalal Badi’i
12. Ghazal Marzban Joorashari
Bukan:
1. Susan Hassanzadeh
2. Afsaneh Shahi
3. Solmaz Hassanzadeh
4. Monireh Khoshnood
5. Pakhshan Nabizadeh
6. Mina Soltani
7. Srveh Shiri
8. Zahra Sajedinia
9. Maliheh Abdolghaderi
10. Susan Hassanzadeh (detained a second time for sentence execution)
11. Hataw Akrami
Shiraz:
1. Sorena Alipour
2. Mina Karami
3. Roya Sabet
4. Tahereh Nowrouzi
5. Mojdeh Fallahi
6. Negar Misaghian
7. Kosar Dehban-Zadeh
8. Elham Haghighatjou
9. Rozita Eslami
10. Hoda Mehregan-Far
Salmas:
1. Somayeh Alipour
2. Elnaz Alipour
3. Saeideh Ahmadi
4. Latifeh Mola’i
5. Rabab Alipour
6. Susan Ghaffari
Piranshahr:
1. Somayeh Ghaderpour
2. Fatemeh Paymard
3. Soraya Gheytaran
4. Elham Ghaderi
5. Elham Abbasi
Khorramabad:
1. Aida Shakerami
2. Nasrin Shakerami
3. Sheida Shakerami
4. Nasrin Shakerami (detained a second time)
Mashhad:
1. Azita Foroughi Motlagh
2. Noushin Mesbah
3. Hasti Talehbin
4. Marzieh Momeni
Mahabad:
1. Zahra Nabizadeh
2. Gelawezh Mohammadi-Arshad
3. Nazanin Elyasi
Sanandaj:
1. Zhina Modarres-Gorji
2. Fariba Moradian
3. Sairan Khosravi
Paveh:
1. Avareh Heydari
2. Farideh Vaisi
3. Frmesk Babaei
Fuman:
1. Maryam Basirtavana
2. Mahsa Basirtavana
3. Negin Reza’i
Isfahan:
1. Marzieh Khalili
2. Fahimeh Soltani
3. Sama Amooshahi
Ahvaz:
1. Maryam Zelaki
2. Sepideh Rashidi
3. Mahshid Lotfi
Lahijan:
1. Bita Rasouli
2. Shiva Shah-Siah
3. Sara Jahani
Mobarakeh:
1. Maryam Mehrabi
2. Setareh Bakhtiarvand
3. Sogand Bakhtiarvand
Marivan:
1. Zhila Hejri
2. Parasto Ahmadi
Tabriz:
1. Azam Azmoudeh
2. Negar Dabbaghi
Zahedan:
1. A. Narouei
2. Maryam Rigi Khalis
Karaj:
1. Zara Esmaeili
2. Parisa Salehi
Malekan:
1. Farangis Fathi
2. Akram Koukian
Cities with one woman arrested:
• Saqez: Delvan Sharifi
• Abadan: Farzaneh Mohammadi Parsa
• Ardabil: Sahar Mami-Zadeh
• Urmia: Elham Choubdar
• Izeh: Rana Korkor
• Ivan-e Gharb: Khadijeh Mahdipoor
• Baneh: Nasrin Abdollahi
• Bojnourd: Nasrin Hosseini
• Bandar Anzali: Yasamin Hashdari
• Taftan: Rahimeh Dahmarde
• Chalous: Soudabeh Vahabi
• Hamidiyeh: Ayat Abiat
• Damghan: Atefeh Rangriz
• Ramsar: Raoufeh Mirbagheri
• Semnan: Niloofar Sadat Hashemian
• Sirjan: Maryam Mahmoud-Abadi
• Rey: Saman Asghari
• Shahriar: Sarina Jahani
• Shushtar: Iran Soleimani
• Fardis: Nahid Behrouzi
• Kazerun: Maryam Derisi
• Kerman: Paridokht Shojaei Baghini
• Gorgan: Soudabeh Mahdi-Nejad
• Gilan-e Gharb: Maria Khani
• Maku: Maryam Rashidi
• Nowshahr: Parasto Ahmadi
• Hamedan: Fereshteh Souri
Additionally, Italian journalist Cecilia Cilia was arrested in Iran last year.
Sentences issued against Women activists in Iran in 2024
According to Hengaw’s statistics, at least 136 women activists were sentenced by Iran’s judiciary in 2024 to execution, imprisonment, and flogging.
Among them, two Kurdish political prisoners, Pakhshan Azizi, and Verisheh Moradi, and Sharifeh Mohammadi, a Turk political prisoner, were sentenced to death. Although Sharifeh Mohammadi’s initial death sentence was overturned last year, she was once again sentenced to execution in 2025.
133 women were collectively sentenced to 570 years and 8 days of imprisonment. Five of them also received a total of 238 lashes in addition to their prison terms.
- 31 Baha’i women were sentenced to a total of 181 years in prison.
- 18 Gilak women received a total of 93 years in prison.
- 2 Kurdish women were sentenced to death, and 18 others were sentenced to a total of 37 years, 1 month, and 20 days in prison.
- At least 5 Turk and 3 Lor women were also sentenced to imprisonment.
Names of women Sentenced to imprisonment, execution, and flogging in 2024
1. Maryam Akbari Monfared, from Tehran, sentenced to 3 years in prison.
2. Mehnaz Tarrah, from Tehran, sentenced to 4 years and 4 months in prison.
3. Zeinab Khaniabpour, from Behbahan, sentenced to 2 years in prison.
4. Farzaneh Borzekar, mother of slain protester Amol, sentenced to 2 years in prison.
5. Nirvana Torbati-Nejad, a 17-year-old child from Gorgan, sentenced to 10 months in prison.
6. Fereshteh Mahdavi, from Gorgan, sentenced to 10 months in prison and 50 lashes.
7. Fatemeh Haqparast, from Tehran, sentenced to 8 months in prison.
8. Mahbubeh Bigdeli, from Gachsaran, sentenced to 5 months in prison.
9. Narges Mohammadi, activist from Zanjan, sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison.
10. Fatemeh Tedrisi, from Tehran, sentenced to 6 years in prison.
11. Maryam Jalali Hosseini, from Tehran, sentenced to 6 years in prison.
12. Golaleh Vatan-Doust, lawyer from Marivan, sentenced to 6 years, 7 months, and 20 days in prison.
13. Bayan Farajollahi, from Sanandaj (Sine), sentenced to 1 year in prison.
14. Ghazaleh Zareh, from Khorramabad, sentenced to 3 years in prison.
15. Parisa Salehi, from Karaj, sentenced to 1 year in prison.
16. Maryam Javadi, from Tehran, sentenced to 5 years and 8 months in prison.
17. Bahareh Shiri, mother of slain protester from Semirom, sentenced to 6 years in prison.
18. Samira Ahmadi, Kurdish activist from Saqqez, sentenced to 3 years in prison.
19. Fatemeh Sheikhi, Kurdish activist from Abdanan, sentenced to 1 year in prison.
20. Forough Taghipour, activist from Tehran, sentenced to 15 years in prison.
21. Marzieh Farsi, activist from Tehran, sentenced to 15 years in prison.
22. Narges Mansouri, activist from Tehran, sentenced to 3 years in prison.
23. Shakila Monfared, activist from Tehran, sentenced to 15 months in prison.
24. Saba Azarpeik, journalist from Tehran, sentenced to 3 years in prison.
25. Kimia Fathizadeh, journalist from Sirjan, sentenced to 6 months in prison.
26. Sarina Jahani, activist from Shahriar, sentenced to 2 years and 3 months in prison.
27. Maryam Abbasi Nikoo, from Najafabad, Isfahan, sentenced to 6 months in prison.
28. Shabnam Tebyanian, Baha’i adherent from Semnan, sentenced to 6 months in prison.
29. Laleh Sa’ati, christian convert from Tehran, sentenced to 2 years in prison.
30. Zohreh Dadras, activist from Rasht, sentenced to 9 years, 6 months, and 2 days in prison.
31. Yasamin Heshdari, activist from Bandar Anzali, sentenced to 6 years, 2 months, and 17 days in prison.
32. Shiva Shah-Siah, activist from Lahijan, sentenced to 6 years, 2 months, and 17 days in prison.
33. Negin Rezaei, activist from Fuman, sentenced to 6 years, 2 months, and 17 days in prison.
34. Forough Samiinia, activist from Rasht, sentenced to 6 years, 2 months, and 17 days in prison.
35. Sara Jahani, activist from Rasht, sentenced to 6 years, 2 months, and 17 days in prison.
36. Azadeh Chavoshian, activist from Rasht, sentenced to 6 years, 2 months, and 17 days in prison.
37. Zohreh Dadras, activist from Rasht, sentenced to 6 years, 2 months, and 17 days in prison.
38. Matin Yazdani, activist from Rasht, sentenced to 6 years, 2 months, and 17 days in prison.
39. Jalveh Javaheri, activist from Rasht, sentenced to 1 year in prison.
40. Shakiba Yazdani, from Sabzevar, sentenced to 1 year in prison.
41. Parvin Mir-Asan, from Shiraz, sentenced to 4 years in prison.
42. Arghavan Fallahi, from Shiraz, sentenced to 2 years in prison.
43. Soma Pourmohammadi, from Sanandaj (Sine), sentenced to 11 years in prison.
44. Farahnaz Nik-Khou, from Tehran, sentenced to 10 years in prison.
45. Shirin Saeedi, from Tehran, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
46. Azita Rezvanikhah, from Isfahan, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
47. Sho’leh Ashouri, from Isfahan, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
48. Mojdeh Bahamin, from Isfahan, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
49. Bashrah Motahar, from Isfahan, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
50. Sara Shakib, from Isfahan, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
51. Samira Shakib, from Isfahan, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
52. Roya Azadkhosh, from Isfahan, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
53. Noshin Hemmat, from Isfahan, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
54. Shourangiz Bahamin, from Isfahan, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
55. Sanaz Rasteh, from Isfahan, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
56. Maryam Khorsandi, from Isfahan, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
57. Firoozeh Rasti-Nejad, from Isfahan, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
58. Farkhondeh Rezvanpi, from Isfahan, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
59. Mozhgan Pourshafi Ardastani, from Isfahan, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
60. Nasrin Khademi Qahqarqi, from Isfahan, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
61. Zhina Modares Gorji, from Sanandaj (Sine), sentenced to 2 years and 4 months in prison.
62. Atena Farghadani, from Tehran, sentenced to 6 years in prison.
63. Maryam Bayrami, from Tabriz, sentenced to 2 years in prison.
64. Motahareh Gunei, from Tehran, sentenced to 1 year in prison.
65. Sharifeh Mohammadi, Turkish activist residing in Rasht, sentenced to death, with her sentence not overturned.
66. Neda Fotouhi, from Tehran, sentenced to 6 years and 8 months in prison.
67. Dina Ghalibaf, from Tehran, sentenced to 2 years in prison.
68. Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish activist from Mahabad, sentenced to death and 4 years in prison.
69. Hora Nikbakht, from Tehran, sentenced to 1 year in prison.
70. Maryam Mehrabi, from Mobarakeh, sentenced to 6 years in prison.
71. Soraya Gheytaran, from Piranshahr, sentenced to 9 months in prison.
72. Anahita Doostdar, from Rasht, sentenced to 4 years, 1 month, and 17 days in prison.
73. Anahita Hejazi, from Rasht, sentenced to 4 years, 1 month, and 17 days in prison.
74. Nina Golestani, from Rasht, sentenced to 4 years, 1 month, and 17 days in prison.
75. Rozita Rajayi, from Rasht, sentenced to 4 years, 1 month, and 17 days in prison.
76. Negin Edalatkhah, from Rasht, sentenced to 4 years, 1 month, and 17 days in prison.
77. Parvish Moslemi, from Tehran, sentenced to 3 years and 8 months in prison.
78. Elham Estadi, from Iranshahr, sentenced to 1 year in prison.
79. Shakila Monfared, from Tehran, sentenced to 7 years and 7 months in prison.
80. Hetaw Akrami, from Bukan, sentenced to 8 months in prison.
81. Shiva Kashaninejad, from Rasht, sentenced to 2 years in prison.
82. Mozhgan Samimi, from Rasht, sentenced to 2 years in prison.
83. Nasim Gholami Simiyari, from Alamut, Qazvin, sentenced to 6 years in prison and 74 lashes.
84. Mahboubeh Ramazani, from Shahriar, sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison.
85. Rahimeh Yousofzad, from Shahriar, sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison.
86. Parshang Azizi, from Mahabad, sentenced to 1 year in prison.
87. Sosan Hassanzadeh, from Bukan, sentenced to 3 months in prison.
88. Manizheh Khoshnood, from Bukan, sentenced to 10 months in prison.
89. Zahra Sajedinia, from Bukan, sentenced to 10 months in prison.
90. Mahsa Jalal Badiyi, from Rasht, sentenced to 4 years, 1 month, and 16 days in prison.
91. Negin Khademi, a Baha’i activist from Isfahan, sentenced to 10 years in prison.
92. Shana Shoqi-Far, a Baha’i activist from Isfahan, sentenced to 10 years in prison.
93. Yeganeh Agahi, a Baha’i activist from Isfahan, sentenced to 10 years in prison.
94. Parastoo Hakim, a Baha’i activist from Isfahan, sentenced to 10 years in prison.
95. Mozhgan Shah-Rezayi, a Baha’i activist from Isfahan, sentenced to 10 years in prison.
96. Yeganeh Rouh-Bakhsh, a Baha’i activist from Isfahan, sentenced to 10 years in prison.
97. Arezoo Sobhaniyan, a Baha’i activist from Isfahan, sentenced to 10 years in prison.
98. Neda Badakhsh, a Baha’i activist from Isfahan, sentenced to 10 years in prison.
99. Bahareh Lotfi, a Baha’i activist from Isfahan, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
100. Neda Emadi, a Baha’i activist from Isfahan, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
101. Verisheh Moradi, from Sanandaj, sentenced to 6 months in prison.
102. Pakhshan Azizi, from Mahabad, sentenced to 6 months in prison.
103. Narges Mohammadi, from Zanjan, sentenced to 6 months in prison.
104. Mahboubeh Rezaei, from Tehran, sentenced to 6 months in prison.
105. Parvish Moslemi, from Tehran, sentenced to 3 months in prison.
106. Zahra Rezaei, from Tehran, sentenced to 1 year and 2 months in prison.
107. Niousha Badi’i Sabet, from Babol, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
108. Souzan Eid Mohammadzadegan, from Babol, sentenced to 5 years in prison.
109. Maliheh Abdolghaderi, from Bukan, sentenced to 10 months in prison.
110. Solmaz Hassanzadeh, from Bukan, sentenced to 1 year in prison.
111. Verisheh Moradi, a Kurdish activist from Sanandaj, sentenced to death.
112. Ava Nasiri, from Isfahan, sentenced to 1 year in prison.
113. Mahshad Keshani, from Isfahan, sentenced to 6 years in prison.
114. Hoda Sadeghi, from Isfahan, sentenced to 6 years in prison.
115. Maryam Farhang, from Isfahan, sentenced to 6 years in prison.
116. Mina Nadaei, from Isfahan, sentenced to 6 years in prison.
117. Bahareh Soleimani, from Isfahan, sentenced to 6 years in prison.
118. Sima Torkian, from Isfahan, sentenced to 6 years in prison.
119. Zeinab Parandeh, from Isfahan, sentenced to 6 years in prison.
120. Shamim Baharzadeh, a Baha’i activist from Isfahan, sentenced to 8 years in prison.
121. Minu Heidari, from Isfahan, sentenced to 11 years in prison.
122. Marjan Beshtam, from Isfahan, sentenced to 11 years in prison.
123. Samaneh Amooshahi, from Isfahan, sentenced to 23 years in prison.
124. Srveh Shiri, from Bukan, sentenced to 8 months in prison.
125. Atefeh Rangriz, from Damghan, sentenced to 7 years and 7 months in prison.
126. Shima Azam Farzan, from Tehran, sentenced to 6 years in prison.
127. Azam Ahou Qalandar, from Karaj, sentenced to 6 years and 2 months in prison.
128. Nasrin Shakarmi, from Khorramabad, sentenced to 1 year in prison.
129. Roshank Molaei Alishah, from Tabriz, sentenced to 74 lashes.
130. Atefeh Rangriz, from Damghan, sentenced to 2 years in prison.
131. Elham Salehi, from Tehran, sentenced to 6 months in prison.
132. Leila Hassanzadeh, from Tehran, sentenced to 1 year in prison.
133. Azam Ahou Qalandar, from Fardis, sentenced to 3 months in prison and 30 lashes.
134. Zeinab Zaman, from Tehran, sentenced to 6 months in prison.
135. Paridokht Shojaei Baghini, from Kerman, sentenced to 2 years and 1 month in prison.
136. Galawezh Mohammadi-Arshad, from Mahabad, sentenced to 4 months in prison.
With the death sentences issued for Verisheh Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi (Kurdish political prisoners) and Sharifeh Mohammadi (Turkish political prisoner), the Islamic Republic of Iran has resumed the practice of sentencing women to death.
Alongside these death sentences, the Iranian state continues to escalate political and social pressure on women by issuing prison and flogging sentences. These punishments not only target individual women but also carry broader social implications, reinforcing a system of gender-based oppression.
This repression includes, the prolonged imprisonment and persecution of Baha’i women, solely for their faith and social participation, legal and social pressures related to hijab enforcement, state-led crackdowns on women’s activism and public life. The combination of imprisonment, flogging, and execution serves as a mechanism of control, aiming to intimidate and silence women in Iran.
191 cases of femicide recorded in Iran in 2024
At least 191 cases of femicide were recorded across 29 provinces in Iran in 2024. This marks a 56.5% increase compared to 2023, with at least 69 more cases reported.
- At least 10 victims were under the age of 18.
- At least 7 women were victims of child marriage and forced marriage.
- At least 3 pregnant women were murdered.
29 Honor killings recorded
Hengaw recorded at least 29 honor killings in 2024, though the actual number may be higher, as many cases classified as “family disputes” by state media are suspected to be honor-related murders.
Causes of femicide:
• Family disputes: 106 cases
• Honor-related killings: 29 cases
• Robbery-related murders: 17 cases
• Financial disputes: 10 cases
• Child custody conflicts: 3 cases
• Dowry disputes: 2 cases
• Rejection of marriage proposals: 2 cases
• Divorce requests: 2 cases
• Attempted rape: 2 cases
• Unknown motives: 18 cases
Methods of killing
The report details the brutal methods used in these femicides:
- 67 women were stabbed or struck with an axe.
- 50 women were shot.
- 27 women were strangled.
- 17 women were beaten to death.
- 10 women were burned alive.
- 2 women were drowned.
- 3 women were thrown from a height.
- 15 cases remain unclear.
Perpetrators of femicide
- 104 women were murdered by their husbands or ex-husbands, with 97 killed by their husbands and 7 by former spouses.
- 10 were killed by their fathers.
- 10 were killed by their brothers.
- 8 were killed by their sons.
- 24 were murdered by close relatives (such as uncles or cousins).
- 2 were killed by suitors.
- 2 were killed by their brother-in-law.
- 2 were killed by boyfriends.
- The perpetrators in 29 cases remain unknown.
Regional breakdown of femicide cases in 2024
The highest number of femicides occurred in Tehran, accounting for 25% of all cases:
• Tehran: 48 cases
• Razavi Khorasan: 16 cases
• East Azerbaijan: 13 cases
• Fars: 12 cases
• Ilam: 9 cases
• Gilan, Sistan and Baluchestan: 8 cases each
• Khuzestan, West Azerbaijan (Urmia): 7 cases each
• Markazi, Lorestan: 6 cases each
• Hormozgan, Mazandaran, North Khorasan, Kurdistan (Sanandaj), Isfahan: 5 cases each
• Hamedan: 4 cases
• Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Kermanshah, Alborz: 3 cases each
• Golestan, Kerman, Qazvin, Bushehr: 2 cases each
• Qom, Zanjan, Semnan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Ardabil: 1 case each
In the hierarchical structure of misogyny—an extreme hatred towards women, their social progress, and their very existence—femicide occupies the highest point at the peak of this pyramid. Femicide is a social and political manifestation of the devaluation of women's lives. It broadly includes not only so-called "honor killings" but also murders driven by jealousy, misogyny, and the mere fact that killing women is perceived as easy and low-cost. In the context of the Islamic Republic of Iran, these mechanisms are not only social structures—which have deep historical roots—but also part of state mechanisms designed to normalize the killing of women, particularly by families and the patriarchal society, outsourcing much of this violence to them. Within the patriarchal family unit and social structures, in a system where women have no legal rights and are considered semi-men, lacking equal protection under the law, the elimination and physical suppression of women are facilitated. Meanwhile, due to the lack of accurate statistical access to femicides in Iran, and the disproportionate rate of killings of women purely for being women in Iran compared to many democratic countries, it can be stated with certainty that the hidden statistics of femicide are far greater than the recorded cases documented by Hengaw
Conclusion: The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, based not only on the statistics and documents recorded by the organization regarding the systematic violation of women’s rights but also specifically considering the severely discriminatory structural laws, the extreme deprivation of women’s fundamental rights, and the social segregation between men and women through laws enforcing compulsory hijab and gender separation, as well as the economic dependence of women on the patriarchal family system imposed by these laws, and the complete erasure and disenfranchisement of the queer community in Iran, evaluates the legal, political, social, and economic system of Iran as gender apartheid. Hengaw calls on the international legal system to formally define “gender apartheid” in international law and criminalize this legal-political system under the category of “crimes against humanity.” Furthermore, the organization urges the international community to recognize the Islamic Republic of Iran under this definition and take the necessary measures accordingly.
