Femicide in Iran: When 'honor' becomes a death sentence

The life of Maryam Yarmohammadi came to a violent end in the early hours of October 5, when the 28-year-old mother of two was attacked with knives by her brother and husband on Qeshm Island in southern Iran . Her genitalia were mutilated. She died shortly afterward in hospital. Both her husband and brother were arrested.

Media reported that about 50 relatives gathered outside the hospital to protest the arrests. They reportedly believed that death had been the "least severe punishment" Maryam Yarmohammadi deserved.

What the young woman's relatives considered her guilty of has not been publicly reported. Yet both the circumstances of the case and the extreme violence involved follow a familiar pattern seen in so-called honor killings.

In such cases, the underlying belief is often that a man must erase a perceived "dishonor" brought upon the family by a sister, daughter or wife. Failure to do so may expose him to rejection, humiliation or social exclusion within his community.

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What constitutes "honor" or "proper conduct" is often defined by family expectations or social and cultural norms. In some traditionally conservative regions, even laughing loudly or engaging in a friendly conversation with an unrelated man may be viewed as a violation of these norms.

Women accused of such transgressions are frequently denied any meaningful opportunity to defend themselves against the allegations.

For years, women's rights activists in Iran have sought to establish nationwide support networks offering counseling and protection to women at risk. One such initiative is the Campaign to End Honor Killings.