30% Increase in Female Murder Cases in Iran’s Kurdish Provinces

A human rights organization reports a 30% increase in the number of murdered women in Iran’s Kurdish regions over the past year. Family disputes have been the primary cause of deaths and suicides among Kurdish women.

The human rights organization Hengaw announced in a report on murders and suicides of women in Kurdish provinces including Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Ilam, and West Azerbaijan that in these regions, from March 2020 to March 2021, 41 women were murdered.

Accordingly, the number of women murdered in these areas showed a “30% increase” compared to the previous year.

Hengaw adds that among the 41 women murdered in the past year, 17 women were killed by their husbands and 3 women were killed by their ex-husbands.

In total, 35 women were killed by close relatives such as father, brother, husband, ex-husband, son, and son-in-law, while 2 women were killed by suitors. In 4 cases, the relationship of the perpetrator or perpetrators to the victim women was reported as “unknown.”

According to the report, “family disputes” with 65.5% were the primary cause of women’s murders in Iran’s Kurdish regions.

Additionally, 14.5% of murders occurred for so-called “honor” reasons.

The highest number of women murders was recorded in Kermanshah province with 18 cases. Following that, Kurdistan province had 11 murders.

Highest Suicide Rate: West Azerbaijan

According to the findings of this human rights organization, from March 2020 to the present, at least 94 women in various cities across Iran’s Kurdish regions ended their lives through “suicide.”

However, the suicide rate among women in these areas has decreased by 15% compared to the previous year.

“Family disputes” were the motivation and cause of 71% of suicides.

Also, the highest number of suicides among Kurdish women is observed in West Azerbaijan province; with 52 cases equivalent to 55% of all suicides recorded in this province.

22 cases equivalent to 23.5% of all cases occurred among girls and adolescents under 18 years old, and three of them were even younger than 13 years old.

Legal Gaps and Lack of Effective Laws

A number of experts mention reasons such as legal gaps and the absence of effective criminal laws in the Islamic Republic as factors contributing to the increase in violence against Iranian women, particularly within families.

Among these cases, according to Islamic Punishment Law, a father cannot be considered a murderer, so that a father, even if convicted by a court, is sentenced to a maximum of paying blood money and imprisonment for up to ten years.

Also, the bill known as “Protecting Dignity and Supporting Women Against Violence” has been pending approval and passage into law for over 10 years. This bill, after extensive back-and-forth, was approved by the cabinet in December 2020 and submitted to the Islamic Consultative Assembly on December 30.

However, the Islamic Consultative Assembly delayed action for five months after announcing receipt of the bill, and finally on April 19, 2021, announced its receipt and referred it with an urgency designation to the Legal and Judicial Commission of the Assembly.

In the Islamic Republic, even artistic works related to the subject of violence against women and “honor” killings face numerous restrictions from responsible authorities.

For example, the film “Ancestral Home” directed by Kianoosh Ayari about honor killings, produced in 2010, was withheld for nearly a decade. After the temporary ban was lifted and the film was screened, it was banned again two years ago, and its makers were prosecuted.

Source: DW