March 8 marks International Women’s Day, a time to reflect on the ongoing struggle against gender inequality worldwide. In Iran, this history is deeply intertwined with pivotal moments such as the imposition of mandatory hijab and the revocation of the family protection law following Khomeini’s arrival. These events sparked widespread protests, with women vehemently opposing these decrees. On the eve of March 8th in Tehran, women staged demonstrations that faced harsh repression. These events marked the beginning of a new chapter in the struggle for women’s rights in Iran, highlighting the ongoing challenges and the resilience of women in the face of adversity. On this International Women’s Day, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights presents a report detailing the violation of women’s rights in Iran throughout 2023, offering statistical insights into the documented violations.
In 2023, Iranian prisons executed at least 22 women, according to data from the Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. Security agencies arrested 325 women activists, and the judicial system sentenced 147 women activists to imprisonment, flogging, or execution. Additionally, at least 122 cases of femicide were recorded across various cities in Iran.
The patriarchal family institution in Iran delegates some mechanisms for gross violations of women’s human rights, leading to many instances of fundamental violations going undocumented. The family unit often controls women, hindering the dissemination of information regarding arrests, sentences, state and societal violence, and even cases of femicide and women’s executions.
At least 22 women were executed last year.
Last year, at least 22 women were executed in various prisons across Iran, constituting 2.7% of the total number of executions. According to the Hengaw Statistics Center, 68% of these women were sentenced to death by the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran on charges of homicide. The charges included one woman sentenced to death for espionage for Israel, and three women sentenced to death for drug-related crimes. Unfortunately, detailed information about the charges against the remaining three women is not available.
Isfahan and Birjand prisons witnessed the highest number of executions of women, each with four cases. Additionally, two women each were executed in Mashhad, Rajaei Shahr, Karaj, and Kerman prisons, and one woman each in Rasht, Zahedan, Qom, Kahnuj, Hamadan, Yasuj, Urmia, and Ghezel Hesar prisons.
The arrest of at least 325 women in 2023
Based on the statistics registered in the Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, in 2023, at least 325 women were arrested in different cities of Iran by the security institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose full identities have been confirmed. This amount corresponds to 14% of all arrests made in the previous year.
Kurdish women accounted for 92 cases, or 28.5%, of all the women detained by the security services of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2023. Not only that, but last year at least 52 Baha’i women activists were arrested—that is, 16.5% of all women arrested.
Last year, Tehran had the highest number of arrests of female activists (68 cases), followed by Sanandaj (36 cases), Isfahan (22 cases), and Karaj (20 cases). Additionally, the security institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran arrested 17 female activists in Rasht city, 13 in Saqqez, 10 in Mashhad, 7 in Shiraz, Hamadan, and Bukan, and 5 in Ilam and Izeh.
As per the report, Iranian security agencies arrested 18 female students, 17 journalists and media activists, 10 artists and actresses, and 7 female teachers in the previous year.
Issuing Death Sentences, Imprisonment, and Flogging for 147 Women Activists in 2023
Based on statistics from the Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, in 2023, the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran conducted trials against a minimum of 147 female activists. Subsequently, these women were sentenced to imprisonment, flogging, and, in one instance, death.
According to the report, Nasim Namazi from Urmia was sentenced to death on charges of “espionage for Israel,” and her execution was carried out in the central prison of the city late last year.
Furthermore, 139 women activists were given prison terms of a collective sum of 553 years and 10 months; ten of them were sentenced to receiving a combined total of 557 lashes in addition to their prison terms.
Additionally, last year, at least eight female activists received sentences to a total of 17 years and 6 months of suspended imprisonment.
It is worth noting that 42 women from the Baha’i religious minority were sentenced to prison, while 20 Kurdish women activists received sentences involving imprisonment and flogging.
The arrest and conviction of women is a common discriminatory practice in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The pressures on women activists during the Women, Life, Freedom (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi) revolutionary movement have intensified. The Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently attempted to systematically restrict women’s social, political, and human rights activities. Policies such as sexual and gender segregation, as well as the marginalization of sexual and gender minorities through the criminalization of their identities highlight the severe gender apartheid policies in Iran.
Registration of 122 cases of femicide in 2023
According to data compiled by the Statistics and Documents Center of the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, during the year 2023, at least 122 cases of femicide were documented in various cities across Iran. Among these tragic incidents, 39 murders, comprising 32% of all cases, were motivated by so-called “honor.”
The majority of femicide cases last year were perpetrated by spouses (60 cases) and ex-spouses (9 cases), accounting for 56.5% of all incidents. Additionally, 16 women were killed by their fathers, 10 by their brothers, 2 by their fathers-in-law, and 11 by other close relatives such as uncles and sons-in-law. Two murders were committed by suitors, five by fiancées, and the remaining seven cases were attributed to unknown perpetrators.
Furthermore, at least eight victims of child marriage were among those killed, with incidents reported in cities such as Ahvaz, Sardasht, Piranshahr, Zabul, Khorramabad, Mashhad, Al-Shatar, and Dehgolan. Of these cases, four were labeled as honor killings. Among the child wives, 5 were murdered by their husbands, 2 by their brothers, and one by her father.
Incidents were reported in various locations, including Ahvaz, Sardasht, Piranshahr, Zabul, Khorramabad, Mashhad, Al-Shatar, and Dehgolan, where at least eight victims of child marriage were among those who perished. Four of these incidents were classified as honour murders.
Among the child wives, five were murdered by their husbands, two by their brothers, and one by her father.
The distribution of femicide cases in 2023 by province is as follows:
1. Tehran province: 24 cases (7 honor killings)
2. Urmia province: 15 cases (9 honor killings)
3. Kermanshah province: 10 cases (2 honor killings)
4. Fars province: 8 cases (1 honor killing)
5. Kurdistan Province: 8 cases (4 honor killings)
6. Alborz province: 7 cases (2 honor killings)
7. Razavi Khorasan province: 7 cases (2 honor killings)
8. Central Province: 6 cases (2 honor killings)
9. Mazandaran province: 5 cases (2 honor killings)
10. Gilan province: 5 cases (2 honor killings)
11. Khuzestan province: 4 cases (3 honor killings)
12. Ilam Province: 4 cases
13. Lorestan and East Azarbaijan provinces: 3 cases each (1 honor killing each)
14. Sistan and Balochistan, Bushehr, Isfahan, and Zanjan provinces: 2 cases each (with 1 honor killing in Sistan and Balochistan)
15. Semnan, Qom, Kerman, Hormozgan, and Yazd provinces: 1 case each (with 1 honor killing in Hormozgan)
Femicide represents the most extreme form of misogyny in society. While honor killings constitute a portion of femicide, the underlying causes are historical, patriarchal, and misogynistic relationships and laws. According to reports from the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, 122 women were murdered in Iran last year alone, with a major part of these committed by the victims’ close family members. Misogynistic laws and attitudes normalize deep-seated hatred against women, facilitating the perpetration of violence against them.
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