Are family murders on the rise in Iran?

The murder of Babak Khorramdin by his father and the possibility that the father raped the victim's daughter have not yet disappeared from the headlines in Iran, but the news of the killing of two children by their mother has caused a new shock in public opinion. In Rasht, a son also shot and killed his father.

Iranian news agencies reported on Thursday, May 20, the murder of two children by their mother in a suburban area of ​​the city of Esfarayen and the murder of a 47-year-old man by his son in Rasht.

The reports state that two young children were poisoned by gas and died in the hospital.

The police concluded in their initial investigation that the children's mother was the cause of the fatal accident. It is understood that the children's mother also attempted suicide by swallowing a large amount of opium syrup but survived.

News agencies have not reported on the cause of the child murders, but the words "marginal areas" and the use of opium for suicide could indicate the fact that poverty was the main factor in this tragedy.

On the same day, news broke of the murder of a father by his son in one of the neighborhoods of Rasht.

According to news reports, a 30-year-old man killed his 47-year-old father with three shots from a hunting rifle. Police said the killer was arrested within 24 hours and confessed to the crime.

News agencies have cited "family disputes" as the cause of the murder.

Did Akbar Khorramdin rape his murdered daughter?

More details are constantly being released about the gruesome murder of Babak Khorramdin by his parents. In addition to confessing to the murder of his daughter, Arzoo, and their son-in-law years ago, the director's father has also said that he intended to kill his two other children. It is said that Arzoo suffered from multiple sclerosis.

Now, one of Arezo's friends has said in an interview with the Rokna news site that Arezo was raped by her father when she was about eight years old and that her illness is rooted in her painful past. On the other hand, Arezo's mother knew about her father's rape of her daughter and constantly emphasized to the eight-year-old girl that she should remain silent and not share this issue with anyone.

The prevalence of family murders

Family murders in Iran are not a new phenomenon. The last examples that made the news occurred in March of last year.

In one case, a 24-year-old woman murdered her mother, her mother's husband, and her 20-year-old sister with the help of two men. In another case, in Khaniabad, Tehran, a 47-year-old man murdered his mother and said he intended to freeze her body in a freezer.

The alarm bells of family murders in Iran were raised years ago, but no significant steps have been taken to prevent them.

In cases where the murder of a child by a father has been reported in the media and has aroused public sensitivity, social and legal experts have called for clarification from the responsible authorities and expressed hope that the patriarchal laws that have paved the way for the murder of a child by a father will be revised.

Now, the media and experts hope that the responsible authorities will find a solution so that family murders do not become a common occurrence in Iran.

The Etemad newspaper wrote: "It is hoped that during the investigation process in this strange and ambiguous case (the Khoramdin family), psychologists, sociologists, and social pathologists will be present alongside criminal and judicial officials so that they can examine the causes of these incidents very carefully and meticulously."

Source: DW