On Wednesday, January 29, 2025, a 17-year-old girl named Atefeh Zegheibi was shot
and killed by her father and brother in the Sha’ibiyah district of Shushtar, a city in
northern Khuzestan province.
According to a reliable source, two years ago, Atefeh fled with a young man she loved
and intended to marry. However, her family opposed the marriage. Following a meeting
with tribal elders, Atefeh’s family agreed to hand over her identification documents and
approve the marriage in exchange for 600 million tomans and a promise not to file a
legal complaint.
According to the same source, Atefeh’s father and brother entered her home dressed in
military disguise. Her husband, fearing arrest, fled the scene. Atefeh, holding her infant
in her arms, was shot 16 times by her father and brother. Despite having received
financial compensation under the tribal “Fasl” tradition, her father had repeatedly stated,
“No matter how long it takes, I will kill Atefeh.”
The Fasl tradition (or Fasl ruling) is a tribal custom practiced in parts of the Middle East,
including Iran, Iraq, and Arab countries. It is a form of dispute resolution, often used in
family conflicts, honor killings, tribal disputes, and other sensitive social matters.
Through mediation by tribal elders and leaders, the family of the perpetrator is often
required to pay compensation—typically in money, land, or livestock—to the victim’s
family to settle the matter. In some cases, another method of ending the dispute is
through forced marriage, where a woman from the perpetrator’s family is married to a
male relative of the victim, a practice known as “blood settlement” (Khoon-bas).

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