The killing of Mahnaz Kasirlou in Zanjan by her husband with a sledgehammer
BY:Rezvan Moghaddam
On Monday, April 28, 2025, Mahnaz Kasirlou, a 30-year-old woman from the village of
Lachoun in Khodabandeh County, Zanjan Province, was brutally killed by her husband,
a man named Najafi, using a sledgehammer and a hammer to her head and face.
According to local sources, prior to this horrific killing, Mahnaz had been a repeated
victim of both physical and psychological abuse at the hands of her husband. She was
also the mother of a young child.
The killing of Mahnaz Kasirlou is not merely a shocking individual case; it is a stark
reflection of a deeply unequal and misogynistic structure in which violence against
women is normalized and institutionalized. Such violence thrives in a context shaped by
structural discrimination, the absence of legal protections, and a patriarchal culture.
In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the passage and enforcement of anti-woman
laws—particularly those related to divorce, child custody, and retribution—systematically
erode the dignity and safety of women. In many cases, the state not only fails to prevent
violence against women but also plays an active role in producing and perpetuating it.
The killing of Mahnaz Kasirlou is a grim reminder that without profound structural, legal,
and cultural changes, the cycle of violence against women will persist. This crime must
not be seen merely as a killing, but as a femicide committed within a misogynistic
system—and condemned as such.
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