From Buried Laws to Femicide: Structural Violence as State Policy in Iran
June 2025 Report: Violence against women in Iran is on the rise. Under the rule of the misogynistic clerical regime, violence against women is not an isolated incident, but a fundamental part of the regime’s imposed cultural structure.
Due to repressive laws and the lack of legal protection for battered women, combined with the failure to criminalize domestic violence or gender-based violence in workplaces and public spaces, and the absence of legal support for women and girls under a regime that itself has institutionalized violence against women, we are witnessing a daily rise in cases of violence—particularly the murder of women at the hands of their husbands, relatives, or within society at large.
So-called “honor killings” and family-related murders in Iran are a recurring and increasingly frequent phenomenon. Perpetrators often evade justice by exploiting the regime’s deeply misogynistic laws and legal loopholes. Terms like “honor” and even “domestic violence” are rooted in the same discriminatory legal framework and have been reinforced over decades through state-run media and institutional power structures, embedding gender-based violence into the fabric of society.
The lack of protective legislation, coupled with legal discrimination, leaves women defenseless against violence. In most cases, victims of sexual violence are also forced into silence due to fear of social rejection and lack of legal support.
In this context, a bill to prevent violence against women has still not passed after 14 years. Meanwhile, Zahra Behrouz Azar, the sitting head of the presidential directorate for Women and Family Affairs, recently disclosed that statistics on violence against women are classified.
Zahra Behrouz Azar said: “We are still in a situation where the rate of violence and spousal abuse against women is 30 times higher than against men. Unfortunately, this data remains classified. Because this information is kept secret, when we try to present the bill on violence against women in Parliament and speak about it, they tell us: ‘What violence? Where is there violence against women? Where is there spousal abuse? And even if there is, it’s equal.’” (State-run ISNA news agency – June 7, 2025)
We are talking about the rise of so-called honor and family killings, and it’s not limited to underprivileged areas or certain ethnic groups. Unfortunately, violence against women and various forms of domestic abuse are also observed in cities, modern spaces, and among the educated class.
The Depth of the Tragedy: The Rising Trend of Femicide in Iran
Femicide—one of the most severe forms of violence against women—is still increasing. According to statements by regime officials, 66% of women in Iran experience violence at some point in their lives. (State-run ISNA news agency – November 16, 2018)
This figure is twice the global average.
On May 18, 2014, the Deputy Chief of the Tehran Criminal Investigation Police announced that 20% of murders in Iran are the so-called honor killings. He added that 61% of these murders are committed by the victims’ relatives.
In December 2019, ISNA reported—citing academic research—that between 375 to 450 honor killings occur annually in Iran. These killings make up around 20% of all murders and 50% of domestic murders in the country.
Some experts in Iran believe that the clerical regime ranks first in the world in domestic violence against women. (Mohammad Reza Mahboubfar – Jahan-e Sanat newspaper, November 19, 2020)
It’s important to note that murders of women are not adequately covered by Iranian media. Scattered reports and daily news updates only reveal the tip of the iceberg, as many of these crimes are hidden behind closed doors and remain undisclosed. (Khabar Online – April 5, 2025)
A statistical comparison reveals the shocking increase in honor killings and femicides in Iran.
According to data compiled from public sources by the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the number of so-called honor killings and femicides in 2023 totaled 105 women, with 39 cases occurring in the first half of the year.
In 2024, this number rose to 165 women, 90 of whom were killed in the first six months.
And in just the first half of 2025, the NCRI Women’s Committee reported 104 women killed.
The Murder of an Arm-Wrestling Champion: A Product of Misogynistic Policy
The killing of women and girls under various pretexts is a daily occurrence in both state-run and independent Iranian media. One of the most shocking cases in June was the murder of Hanieh Behboudi, a women’s arm-wrestling champion.
This was not merely a family crime—it was a direct reflection of policies and ideologies that deny women autonomy over their own lives.
Hanieh Behboudi was murdered by her husband on the evening of June 5, 2025, in the city of Fariman (northeastern Iran, near Mashhad).
She was 24 years old and the mother of a four-year-old daughter. After winning a women’s arm-wrestling competition in Gorgan (northern Iran), Haniyeh posted a photo of her hands on Instagram. The widespread praise and recognition she received in her hometown provoked a violent reaction from her husband.
Hanieh had previously suffered domestic abuse. On the night of the murder, her husband took their daughter to Hanieh’s mother’s house, then lured Haniyeh home under the pretext of going out together. First, he broke both her wrists, then strangled her. Finally, he cut the veins in both her hands in an attempt to make the scene look like a suicide.
The Killing of Women and Girls in June
According to data collected by the NCRI Women’s Committee, at least 9 women were murdered by close relatives—especially husbands—between May 23 and June 10, 2025.
- Samira Farhadi, 25, and her sister Somayeh, 17, were shot and killed by Samira’s husband. Samira was the mother of two children, aged three and five.
- Zahra Aliyari was brutally stabbed to death by her husband in Miandoab (northwest Iran).
- Eshrat Heydari, 45, was shot and killed by her husband while trying to mediate a dispute between him and their children.
- Omolbanin Gholizadeh, 47, was killed with a knife by her husband after she attempted to separate from him.
Another case, although not a family murder, involved the discovery of the body of Elaheh Hossein-Nejad in the desert near Tehran. She had been stabbed in the chest multiple times.
Elaheh was a 24-year-old woman with a bachelor’s degree in accounting who worked at a beauty salon. News of her body being found on June 5, 2025, shocked Iranian society.
Elaheh went missing on May 25, 2025. The regime’s official claim is that she was stabbed to death while resisting a mobile phone theft. However, it is widely suspected that security forces abducted and killed her due to her anti-regime activities. Her family is reportedly under heavy surveillance and pressure not to speak or give interviews to the media.
Elaheh Hossein-Nejad
Tracing the Roots of Domestic Violence and Femicide
The social tragedies unfolding in today’s Iran have deeply political roots. At the core, these crises must be attributed to the misogynistic and inhumane regime ruling the country—a regime that is the source and driving force behind the rage, repression, and structural violence embedded in Iranian society. Women and girls are at the very heart of this inhuman policy, and its primary victims.
The horrific killings of women and girls, before being committed with a husband’s machete, a father’s knife, or a brother’s handgun, are the direct result of overt and covert laws born from the regime’s reactionary ideology. These laws, instead of protecting women’s safety, security, and lives, serve to justify and whitewash their murder.
Although the perpetrators of these murders are, in most cases, the male family members, the true architect of this culture of murder is the Supreme Leader and the regime’s repressive apparatus. Through instruments such as the misogynistic laws and judiciary, and state-controlled media, the regime not only exploits these atrocities socially and politically, but also facilitates their repetition and normalization. When these murders are publicized, they are often used as a smokescreen to shift blame away from the state and onto individual or family dynamics.
Ultimately, the shocking statistics on so-called honor killings are rooted in institutionalized misogyny within Iran’s legal and social structure. When it comes to violence against women—especially the so-called honor killings—there is a fundamental absence of effective criminalization. The law not only fails to protect women’s lives but, through legal loopholes and reduced sentences in its deeply misogynistic laws, practically emboldens perpetrators.
In many cases, a father or husband who has brutally murdered his daughter or wife serves only a few years in prison, or walks free after paying diyeh (blood money) and obtaining the mother’s consent. He often returns to the same household where the killing occurred without being held accountable for taking the life of a human being.
Anti-woman Criminalization Instead of Elimination of Violence Against Women
The state-run Etemad newspaper wrote on June 8, 2025, about the structural apathy and lack of political will to stop violence against women:
“Unfortunately, in the latest revisions of the (2025) bill on preventing violence against women, we see that there is fundamentally no real concern. Lawmakers rarely establish new crimes. Instead, they list existing offenses from the Islamic Penal Code and slightly increase punishments only if the victim is a woman.
“The alarming aspect of the 2025 bill is that, under the guise of protecting the family, it criminalizes actions against husbands. Instead of aiming to eliminate violence against women, the 2025 bill criminalizes women in favor of men.
“The major change we see is that there is no longer any independent criminalization of specific types of violence, harassment, or assault. A few articles from the Islamic Penal Code are selected, and it says, ‘if the victim is a woman, then this happens.’
“Many of the criminalizations that were originally part of the draft bill to eliminate violence have been removed from the final version.” (State-run Etemad newspaper – June 8, 2025)
Withdrawal of a Bill That Took 14 Years and Still Wasn’t Passed
One of the most revealing developments in June regarding violence against women was the government’s request to withdraw the bill known as the “Provision of Security for Women Against Violence.” Originally proposed to prevent violence against women in 2011, the bill was watered down and rendered ineffective after 14 years of bureaucratic back-and-forth between regime institutions, and still never passed into law.
Khabar Online published a report titled “Women’s Security Under the Heavy Shadow of Politics,” clearly reflecting the legal deadlock and widespread dissatisfaction with the systemic neglect of violence against women.
This bill not only lacked any enforcement mechanism to protect women, but by removing key provisions, it ultimately granted the misogynistic clerical regime even more tools for repression. The situation became so dire that even figures from within the regime began speaking out.
Zahra Behrouz Azar, the head of the Directorate for Women and Family Affairs, criticized the bill’s failure and its hollowing out by regime forces. She said: “We are dealing with three categories: violence, abuse, and disorder—each with its own definition. We told members of the parliamentary committee that if you are sensitive about the word ‘violence,’ use a different term or phrase.
“But the final draft didn’t just remove the word—it also eliminated most of the articles that explicitly aimed to prevent these issues. They were replaced with unrelated provisions, and in the proposed final text, none of these issues were addressed.
“We saw that it no longer had any real impact, and the government decided to request its withdrawal.” (State-run Etemad newspaper – June 8, 2025)
Masoumeh Ebtekar, the former head of the Directorate for Women and Family Affairs, also remarked: “Denying violence against women is a political strategy… We’ve focused all our attention on the issue of hijab, while the real issue is security… When we talk about women’s safety from violence, part of that is within the family, and part of it is in society.” (State-run Jamaran website – December 14, 2024)
Another state media outlet asked: “Which law in this country has taken 14 years to be passed? Doesn’t this drawn-out process alone indicate how political and factional considerations have outweighed expertise and professional input?” (Rasaneh 7 – June 9, 2025)
Ultimately, in June 2025, the clerical regime’s new administration suddenly requested the bill’s withdrawal.
Looking at the bill’s trajectory, it becomes clear that all administrations and parliaments aligned with the Supreme Leader played the same game—politicizing the bill and blocking its passage under various pretexts. This is the same cynical political routine that follows every shocking murder and public outcry: media headlines filled with regime officials’ promises, only for everything to be forgotten again.
Tracking the Changes in the Name and Content of the VAW Bill
The table below presents the full historical progression of the “Bill for the Protection of Women Against Violence” from 2011 to 2025, including the number of articles and the official titles at each stage.
Despite varied titles—ranging from “Security for Women Against Violence” to “Enhancing the Dignity of Women and Families”—key protective content was removed over time.
The final action in June 2025 was the government’s asking Parliament to withdraw the bill, effectively killing it after 14 years of bureaucratic limbo.
The last name given to the bill before its withdrawal was “Enhancing the Dignity of Women and the Family.” This name blatantly reveals the regime’s agenda: women’s security and protection from violence hold no real value, while preserving male-led family structures—at any cost—is the true priority.
The Right to Life, Dignity, and Safety for Iranian Women and Girls
Under this misogynistic regime, Iranian women and girls are denied recognition of their right to life, dignity, and safety. These rights are continually suppressed, distorted, and destroyed. The realization of such rights is only possible under a democratic, people-powered system committed to gender equality—a system where the law serves human dignity rather than repression and discrimination.
Therefore, exposing the structural violence against women in Iran is a global responsibility. International organizations, civil society groups, human rights activists, and women’s rights movements should speak louder and apply more pressure to hold the ruling regime accountable for these crimes.
In this struggle, supporting the efforts and reports of the NCRI Women’s Committee that fights for freedom and the establishment of a democratic republic, based on the separation of religion and state and gender equality, becomes significantly more important.
May international solidarity give us greater strength and power to move forward and achieve our goal of freedom and equality.
