The scourge of femicide and honor killings has once again highlighted the systemic violence against women in Iran, a country governed by a regime steeped in misogyny.
On Wednesday, December 25, 2024, Ghazaaleh Hodoodi, a 27-year-old mother of an 11-year-old daughter, was doused with gasoline and set on fire by a man whose proposal of marriage she had declined. Despite efforts to save her, she died two days later in the hospital, having suffered burns over 60% of her body.
Ghazaaleh was originally from a village in Qorveh County. At just 15 years old, she was married to a much older man who spent most of his life behind bars due to methamphetamine addiction and theft-related offenses. Two years ago, she divorced him, secured custody of her daughter, and started a tailoring business in Sanandaj to support her small family.
Her attacker, Sirvan Sa’adpanah, was a neighbor near her shop. He had harassed her repeatedly, pressuring her to marry him despite her firm rejections. Unmoved by her refusal, he sought to coerce her through social and family connections.
غزاله حدودی به دلیل جواب رد به درخواست ازدواج از سوی یک مرد به آتش کشیده شد و بعد از ۲ روز در بیمارستان جان باخت. این تنها یکی از بیشمار موارد خشونت علیه زنان در #ایران است رژیمی که زن ستیزی در قوانین آن نهادینه شده است#زن_مقاومت_آزادی
— سروناز چيت ساز (@s_chitsaz) January 4, 2025
The attack occurred around 7 p.m. on December 25, when most businesses had closed for the evening. Sirvan entered Ghazaaleh’s shop carrying a bottle of gasoline, poured it on her, and set her ablaze. Engulfed in flames, Ghazaaleh managed to run into the street. A baker nearby contacted her family, and her father and brother rushed her to Kosar Hospital in Sanandaj. On the way, Ghazaaleh identified Sirvan as her attacker.
Further investigation revealed that Sirvan Sa’adpanah’s father was a member of the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Sirvan himself is also affiliated with the IRGC. Compounding the tragedy, Ghazaaleh’s ex-husband had been released from prison only two weeks before the incident. Her 11-year-old daughter, Niyan, is now in the custody of her paternal family.
Ghazaaleh’s story is one of countless examples of violence against women in Iran. Crimes like these, far from being criminalized, are entrenched in a legal system that fails to protect women, perpetuating a culture of impunity under the mullahs’ regime.
