21-Year-Old Sepideh Raisi, Victim of Child Marriage and Domestic Violence, Killed

Sepideh Raisi, a 21-year-old woman who was forced into marriage at age 13, was shot and killed after requesting separation from her husband. She was four months pregnant and the mother of a three-year-old child. Her unborn child also died in the shooting, and her mother was wounded during the gunfire. This crime raises a serious question for society and officials: How many more girls and women must become victims of child marriage and domestic violence before their security and right to life are taken seriously?

According to human rights organizations, Sepideh Raisi, a resident of Zagh village in Simakan district of Jahrom city in Fars Province, was shot and killed on November 7, 2026, after requesting separation from her husband. During the attack, her four-month-old fetus also died, and Sepideh’s mother was wounded in the shoulder and transferred to a medical center.

According to Hengaw, Sepideh was forced into marriage at age 13 and during years of marriage, she repeatedly faced threats, intimidation, and domestic violence, including threats with firearms. She had requested separation to escape these conditions and to ensure the security of herself and her three-year-old child. However, instead of being met with support and effective protection, her request was answered with deadly violence.

Other reports indicate that the shooting occurred in the presence of Sepideh’s mother, sisters, and three-year-old child. Her husband, Ali Raisi, who reportedly was a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, went into hiding after committing the murder. However, domestic media outlets, including Rokna and Nournews, reported his arrest. The official details of the investigation and judicial process of the case remain unclear.

Sepideh was only 13 years old when she entered married life—an age that should be a time for education, development, play, and shaping a child’s future, not the beginning of the heavy responsibilities of marriage and motherhood. Marriage at such a young age, even if registered within the domestic legal framework, is still considered child marriage according to international standards and can place girls at risk of inequality, dependence, deprivation of education, and violence.

In Iran, Article 1041 of the Civil Code sets the marriage age for girls at 13 years old and allows marriage at younger ages with the permission of a guardian and court authorization. Thus, a law that should protect children continues to leave the door open for the marriage of girls under 18 years old.

The scope of this crisis extends beyond a single case. Based on data from the Statistics and Documentation Center of human rights organizations, at least 207 cases of femicide have been recorded in Iran during 2025. Among these cases, at least 10 women who were victims of child marriage were killed by their husbands, and at least 10 women were murdered by their husbands after requesting divorce.

Hengaw’s report on the first half of 2026 also documents at least 45 cases of femicide, with at least two women who were married in childhood killed by their husbands.

These figures represent only documented cases and cannot be considered a complete count of femicides in Iran. The absence of comprehensive official statistics, limited access to information, and underreporting of some cases suggest that the actual number may be higher. It should also be emphasized that not all femicides result from child marriage, but the recurring killing of women who were married in childhood demonstrates that this phenomenon can intensify the conditions of vulnerability and deadly violence.

When a girl is married at age 13, when years of threats with firearms continue, and when a woman seeking to save herself and her child requests separation only to ultimately lose her life, we cannot settle for merely arresting the perpetrator of the murder.

The arrest of the accused, if confirmed and brought to a conclusion in the judicial process, is part of accountability. However, preventing such crimes requires something beyond punishment after the murder occurs: an effective ban on child marriage, legal and practical support for women at risk of violence, safe access to shelters and support services, immediate response to armed threats, and guarantees ensuring that separation can be pursued without risk of retaliation and violence.

Sepideh Raisi was killed at age 21, still a mother to a young child and carrying another in her womb. Her three-year-old child lost her mother, and her family faced a deep and irreparable wound.

Child marriage cannot be viewed merely as a family tradition or a private matter. When marriage of a child places her in an unequal and vulnerable position and protective mechanisms are unable to safeguard her, this issue becomes a serious violation of children’s rights and women’s right to life. No girl should lose her childhood to forced marriage, and no woman should pay with her life for exercising her right to separation.