Kurdistan Human Rights Network

A 40-year-old woman from Ilam, Ilam Province, was killed by her husband on 10 November and the authorities have arrested him on murder charges, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. Colonel Khodadad Rashidi, head of the Ilam Province Criminal Investigations Department, confirmed the arrest and said the husband had cited “family disputes” as the reason for his actions. The forensic examination showed that the...

Janeh Choupani, a 22-year-old woman from the village of Kuzehrash in Salmas, West Azerbaijan Province, has been killed by her father on the pretext of "defending honour". The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned that her father, Rouzbeh Choupani, strangled her to death in the family home on 27 July after a private video showing Choupani and a relative circulated on social media in...

A 31-year-old woman from Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province, Ayda Heydarian, was fatally stabbed by her husband on 17 July, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) has learned. Heidarian, who worked at the Red Crescent pharmacy in Sanandaj, sustained multiple stab wounds in the attack. Her husband, whose identity has not been revealed, allegedly attempted suicide following the incident and is currently receiving treatment at a local medical...

Maryam Razmjou, a young woman, her mother and her brother, were fatally shot by her husband in Kermanshah, Kermanshah Province, on 14 March. The husband was quickly arrested by the authorities a few hours after the shooting. Razmjou was a radio-oncology resident at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences. In a separate incident on 10 March, Ziba Sayyad, a 27-year-old woman from the village of Hasar-e Kani Spi...

This report details cases of femicide, suspicious deaths of women, as well as the arrest and imprisonment of Kurdish women activists and their removal from their positions between 25 November 2022 and 25 November 2023. According to this report, at least 23 Kurdish women were murdered by male family members during this period. The deaths of three others were also reported as suspicious and linked...

Trouskeh Abdollahzadeh, a 21-year-old mother of two children, was murdered by her father in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan Province, on 15 October. The young woman, who was forced to marry her cousin at the age of 13, was killed for allegedly "having telephone contact with a man". Her uncle, who is also her father-in-law, was also allegedly involved in the crime. Abdollahzadeh was killed by beating, strangulation and...

Shahin Ebrahimzadeh, a 21-year-old woman, was murdered by her father and uncle in the vicinity of the village of Gulan in Sardasht, West Azerbaijan Province, on 5 October. According to statistics compiled by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN), at least 14 cases of femicide committed by male family members have been recorded in Kurdistan since the beginning of the new Iranian year on 21...

Fatemeh Mohammad-Panahi, a 17-year-old child bride, was shot dead by her husband and two stepbrothers on 29 September in the village of Marghan in Sardasht, West Azerbaijan Province. Mohammad-Panahi, who had been forced into a child marriage with her cousin, expressed her wish to separate from him just one year after their union, a decision opposed by her family. As a result, the young girl was...

Mahya Naderi, a 14-year-old girl, was shot dead by her cousin with a hunting rifle in Sarpol-e Zahab, Kermanshah province. According to reports, the incident took place with the knowledge of Mahya's father and was allegedly linked to her "romantic involvement with a boy and running away from home". Nadari's body was buried in Sarpol-e Zahab on 8 September. According to statistics compiled by the Kurdistan Human...