A woman in Kashan was killed by her husband for asking for a divorce

Mahbobe Heidarian
born: 1990
stabbed to death: 6 August 2022
Residence: Kashan, Eşfahān province in Iran
Origin: Fars
Children: 3 sons (oldest is 15 years old)
Perpetrator: husband

According to Iranwire, on the evening of August 6, 2022, a 32-year-old woman named Mahbobe Heidarian from Kashan, a city about 200 kilometers southwest of Tehran, was killed by multiple stabbings and then run over by her husband with a car.

After the murder, her husband reportedly stabbed himself and was treated in hospital for several days. Mahbobe had been planning to divorce her husband for 3 years.

The perpetrator's family tells the story that Mahbobe was having an extramarital affair and that her husband had caught them together on the day of the murder, but this story seems to be mainly aimed at reducing the sentence to be imposed.

Because Iranian law is based on Sharia law, the penalty for murdering an adulterous woman is extremely low at 3 to 10 years in prison and not in line with international laws and regulations.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.