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Iranwire – Three young women have been murdered in western Iranian cities over the past week amid ongoing concerns about violence against women in the region.
In Kermanshah, 18-year-old Kosar Darabi was shot and killed by her husband on January 1, according to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.
Sources report that Darabi was forced into marriage two months ago and had endured severe physical abuse before her death.
Her husband has been taken into custody.
In Saqqez, Sara Karami, a mother of a six-year-old boy who was in the process of divorce, was found dead in her home.
Her body showed signs of strangulation and head trauma, with bruising around her neck and blood from her ears. The identity of the assailant remains unknown.
In Sanandaj, 27-year-old Ghazaleh Hodoudi, a mother and tailor who was married as a child, was attacked in her shop on December 25.
Reports say that Sirvan Sa’edpanah, a rejected suitor, set her on fire after she refused his marriage proposal. Sa’edpanah also sustained burns in the attack and is currently receiving medical treatment.
In Iran, official bodies do not provide accurate statistics on femicides, though incidents are reported in Iranian newspapers.
According to Etemad newspaper, 78 women were murdered by their relatives or family members between March and September this year.
In 2023, Shargh newspaper reported that male family members killed at least 165 women between 2021 and 2023.
Of these, 27 women were murdered in the first three months of 2023 alone, with “honor killings” cited as a primary motive.
These figures reflect only reported murders, and the actual number is likely much higher.
