Hengaw’s monthly report on women’s rights violations in Iran — September 2025
Hengaw – Wednesday, October 8, 2025
In September 2025, at least six female activists were arrested and two others were sentenced to prison by the Iranian judiciary. Over the same period, 12 cases of femicide and the execution of six women were documented across Iran, according to data compiled by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights’ Statistics and Documentation Center.
Executions of women in Iran
In September 2025, at least six women were executed in various prisons across the country. Five were executed on charges of “premeditated murder” and one on “drug-related offenses.”
The identities of the executed women confirmed by Hengaw are as follows:
1. Gohar Taheri Aghdam, from Zanjan – executed in Zanjan Central Prison on murder charges.
2. Zahra Fotouhi, from Tabriz – executed in Tabriz Central Prison on murder charges.
3. Mehnaz Dehqani, from Shiraz – executed in Shiraz Central Prison on murder charges.
4. Jeyran Taheri, from Isfahan – executed in Isfahan Central Prison on murder charges.
5. Hadiqeh Abadi, an Afghan national – executed in Qazvin Central Prison on drug-related charges.
6. An unidentified woman – executed in Sabzevar Central Prison on murder charges.
6 women arrested in September 2025
At least six female activists were arrested by Iranian security forces in September 2025, representing approximately 7% of all documented arrests that month.
Those detained include three Gilak women and two Kurdish women:
Rasht:
1. Shadi Fallahati
2. Tahereh Poursamaeili
3. Masoumeh Pourshahrani
Sanandaj:
4. Nehieh Rahimi
5. Derkhshan Rahimi
Shiraz:
6. Maryam Delbari
Prison sentences issued for women activists
In September 2025, at least two female activists were sentenced by Iranian courts to a combined total of six years in prison.
The convicted women are:
1. Ra'na Korkor, from Izeh – sentenced to three years in prison.
2. Paria Marandiz, from Tehran – sentenced to three years in prison.
The arrest and sentencing of women continues to reflect the Iranian state’s systematic discrimination and repression against female activists. During the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising, such pressure intensified significantly. The Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently sought to restrict women’s social, political, and human rights activities, enforcing gender segregation, criminalizing sexual and gender identities, and entrenching a policy of gender apartheid.
Twelve cases of femicide in September 2025
Hengaw documented 12 cases of femicide across Iran in September 2025. The majority of victims were murdered by close family members, including husbands, fathers, and other male relatives.
According to Hengaw’s findings:
• 5 women were killed by their husbands,
• 4 by their fathers,
• 2 by brothers-in-law,
• 1 by a cousin,
• 1 by a former husband, and
• 1 by an uncle.
Of these killings, 8 were attributed to family disputes, while 4 were labeled as “honor killings.”
Breakdown by Province:
• East Azerbaijan: 3 cases
• Khuzestan: 2 cases
• Tehran: 2 cases
• Razavi Khorasan, Kurdistan (Sanandaj), Gilan, West Azerbaijan (Urmia), and Fars: 1 case each
Hengaw documented 191 femicides in Iran in 2024, the majority committed by close male relatives.
Femicide represents the most extreme manifestation of misogyny and violence against women in Iran. While so-called “honor killings” are one subset of these crimes, the root causes lie in patriarchal laws and deeply entrenched misogynistic structures.
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights considers the Islamic Republic of Iran a system of gender apartheid, where systematic violence against women has been legalized and institutionalized. Hengaw calls on the international community to recognize gender apartheid as a crime against humanity and classify the Islamic Republic as a gender apartheid regime under international law, holding its authorities accountable for structural discrimination and systematic violence against women.
