Over 165 Iranian Women Killed By Male Relatives Since May 2021

New research has revealed that at least 165 women were killed by one of her family members in Iran within the last two years.

According to an investigative report by Sharq daily citing official sources, 108 women were killed by their husbands, 17 by their brothers, nine by their sons, 13 by their fathers, and 19 by other men in the family.

The findings, which reveal how deeply domestic violence has become embedded in Iranian society, show that on average, a woman was killed by a man in her family every four days.

Out of 165 women who were murdered, 43 were shot, often with hunting rifles, pistols and even Kalashnikovs. Another 40 were stabbed to death and 35 were strangled either by hand, scarves and bedding.

Six women were set on fire, either by pouring gasoline directly on them, or setting fire to the car or the house where the victim was staying. Another 41 victims were killed in other brutal ways such as hammer blows to the head and body and mutilation. Only in 11 cases did the killer commit suicide after the crime.

Family disputes have been quoted as the cause of 87 cases out of 165 murders while 38 cases have been deemed as honor killing, 10 murdered due to financial issues and 30 others where there is no clear cause for the murder.

Perpetrators of honor killings are often not brought to justice in Iran as most families do not demand harsh punishment for them, particularly if the perpetrator is the victim’s father.