Woman Shot Dead After Rejecting Marriage Proposal in Western Iran

Iranwire – A 40-year-old woman was fatally shot in western Kermanshah after rejecting a marriage proposal. 

Samira Nourbakhsh was killed by the man whose marriage proposal she had rejected.

Nourbakhsh, mother of a 21-year-old daughter and a 17-year-old son, had recently decided to remarry after years of raising her children alone.

Sources close to the victim said the 32-year-old man first seemed kind and respectful. But over time, Nourbakhsh noticed worrying signs, like sudden anger and verbal abuse.

She eventually learned that he had a history of failed marriages and was undergoing psychiatric treatment.

After she rejected his proposal, the man threatened to kill her. On the evening of May 3, he confronted Nourbakhsh as she returned from her sister’s home and shot her before fleeing the scene.

Several incidents of violence against women have been reported across Iran since March.

Official bodies in Iran do not release accurate statistics on femicides, although such incidents are reported in the Iranian newspapers. 

According to Etemad newspaper, 78 women were murdered by relatives or family members between March and September last year.

In 2023, Shargh newspaper reported that at least 165 women were killed by male family members between 2021 and 2023. Of those, 27 were murdered in the first three months of 2023 alone, with “honor killings” cited as a primary motive.

These figures reflect only reported cases. The actual number of femicides is likely much higher.