By :Rezvan Moghaddam

According to published reports, on May 25, 2025, Elahe Hosseinnezhad disappeared
after leaving her workplace in the Saadat Abad district of Tehran. State-affiliated media
later claimed she was killed that same night. Her body was discovered on June 5, 2025,
in the desert outskirts of Tehran. The killing of Elahe Hosseinnezhad, a 24-year-old
woman from Eslamshahr is, a chilling reflection of the insecurity faced by women, the
suppressive political environment, and the deeply rooted culture of violence under the
Islamic Republic of Iran.
Contradictions in official accounts and heavy-handed security pressure to silence
reporting suggest a systemic effort to obscure the true dimensions of this crime. Initially,
authorities attributed the killing to a phone theft, but soon shifted to charges of
“kidnapping” and “corruption on earth,” revealing the political and security-driven nature
of the case. In another version, government media claimed the killer attempted sexual
assault but was met with resistance from the victim. These inconsistent narratives not
only muddy the facts but also raise critical questions: What is being hidden behind this
silence and distortion?
The accused, Bahman Farzaneh, a 31-year-old man, is known to be religious, active in
mourning ceremonies, and a supporter of the regime. He has a documented history of
domestic violence and misogynistic beliefs. His Instagram posts reveal open allegiance
to the Islamic Republic and Ali Khamenei, including a post from December 2019
praising Khamenei with the caption: “Love means my leader.” A video of his arrest
shows an officer commending him: “You did the right thing, she deserved it”—which
indicates that violence against women is not merely an individual pathology, but
something validated by broader social and ideological structures. His ex-wife later
revealed in a video that he had repeatedly beaten her nearly to death, describing him as
pathologically jealous.
Elahe: A Voice for “Woman, Life, Freedom”
Elahe was active on social media and clearly supported the Woman, Life, Freedom
movement. Her posts showed solidarity with symbolic figures of the uprising, including
Toomaj Salehi and Mehdi Yarrahi. Her tribute to Mohammad Hosseini (executed for
protesting in 2022) revealed that her voice went beyond the aesthetics of a beauty
salon—it was a political, freedom-seeking voice. This context makes it plausible that her
killing was more than just a random act of violence.
The forced silence imposed on her family and the pressure to conduct a secret burial
are blatant violations of freedom of expression and human dignity. These acts also

reflect a systemic fear of public empathy for victims connected to popular resistance
movements. Even in death, the Islamic Republic seeks to bury defiance.
The killing of Elahe Hosseinnezhad is a painful testament to the intersection of gender-
based on violence, political repression, and structural discrimination. It underscores the
urgent need for independent documentation, a free press, and justice-driven
accountability in Iran. In the shadow of state narratives and censorship, truth must
survive through the voices of victims and activists. “Woman, Life, Freedom” is not
merely a slogan it is a struggle for survival, voice, and justice.

#StopHonorKillingsCampaign

#SafetyForWomen

#WomenHaveTheRightToLive

#NoToViolenceAgainstWomen

#IslamicRepublicIsResponsibleForFemicide

#ElaheHosseinnezhad

#NoToMisogynisticCulture

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