Murder of ‘Farshte,’ Victim of Child Marriage, and ‘Setayesh’ Motivated by Honor Killing

‘Farshte,’ a young woman who was a victim of child marriage, and Setayesh, a teenager, were murdered with an honor killing motive.

19-year-old Farshte and mother of a young boy, along with Farshte’s cousin Setayesh, were killed by their family members in Bomehen, Tehran and Kohdasht, Lorestan with an honor killing motive.

According to ‘Independent Farsi,’ 19-year-old Farshte Mansouri and 16-year-old Setayesh, who was Farshte’s cousin and also the sister of Farshte’s husband, residents of ‘Abulwafa’ village in Kohdasht city, Lorestan province, were killed with an honor killing motive and to preserve family honor.

According to informed sources in Lorestan, the charges against these two young women were false, and their murder was solely because of a recreational trip and attendance at a concert by an Iranian singer in Van, Turkey.

Farshte and Setayesh were cousins; moreover, Farshte was also the wife of Setayesh’s brother, as she was forcibly married to her cousin at age 12, becoming a victim of child marriage. After growing up, Farshte was dissatisfied with her marriage and, due to poverty, had not lived a good life. Furthermore, Farshte’s husband, in addition to his drug addiction, was also involved in drug trafficking, which is why he has been in prison for some time. Farshte, in her husband’s absence, lived in Bomehen, Tehran with her husband’s family, which also included her uncle.

With the decision to travel to Turkey on a recreational tour, Farshte and Setayesh sold Farshte’s gold jewelry and arranged the travel expenses. After the start of this road trip from Tehran toward the Khoy border, rumors were spread against these two young women that they were traveling abroad with several boys. Under family pressure, Farshte and Setayesh got off the bus before reaching the Turkey border and returned to Bomehen.

These rumors caused Farshte’s family to relocate from their village. However, as the rumors continued, two brothers (Farshte and Setayesh’s father and uncle) decided to transfer Farshte and Setayesh from Bomehen to Naderi township in Kohdasht. On Wednesday evening, corresponding to April 2, 2023, Farshte was shot and killed in front of her 5-year-old son. Setayesh’s father and brothers told Setayesh to either commit suicide or they would kill her. Setayesh attempted suicide by swallowing pills and ended her life. There are also other reports suggesting that Setayesh’s family poisoned her; however, no information about the accuracy of this report is yet available.

Setayesh’s father along with his brothers, and also Farshte’s father and his brothers, were transferred to Lorestan prison on charges of murder and complicity in the crime, and investigations by police and the judiciary have begun to follow up on the case.

It should be noted that during investigations conducted with the travel agency from which Farshte and Setayesh had purchased tickets for this recreational tour, it was revealed that no other person or persons had accompanied them, and Farshte’s infidelity to her husband was nothing more than a rumor and hearsay.