By : Rezvan Moghaddam

In another case of deadly domestic violence, a 45-year-old man in Tehran killed his 37-
year-old wife in their shared home in the early hours of Saturday, May 11, 2025.
According to Etemad Online, quoting police officials, the killer turned himself in at 3 a.m.
at the 111 Hefte-Chenar police station, confessing that after an argument with his wife,
he lost control in a fit of rage and strangled her with his bare hands. Homicide
detectives, after notifying the special murder prosecutor, visited the crime scene and
found the woman’s body on the ground floor of their residential building, with clear signs
of strangulation. According to preliminary forensic reports, the cause of death was
blocked arteries to the brain due to strangulation.
The killer, a service worker in Tehran’s subway system, said during interrogation:
“My wife bought a 20 million toman phone without telling me and asked for 3 million
tomans to cover the first installment. We argued. When she said she would leave the
house, I grabbed her throat. When I came to my senses, she was lifeless on the
ground.”
The couple had been married for 15 years and had three teenage children, all present in
the home at the time of the killing. According to the man, one child was in the bedroom
and the other two were asleep in the living room and didn’t witness the incident.
This killing lays bare the harsh realities of a society where domestic violence is still
overlooked, and women remain the most vulnerable victims behind closed doors. The
man justified his act as the result of “intense anger,” reflecting a pervasive mindset in
which physical violence is still seen as an understandable or justifiable response to
conflict. This perception is reinforced by the lack of comprehensive legal protection for
women in Iran. In the absence of laws to prevent violence, support survivors, and
prosecute perpetrators, violent men often act without fear of real consequences.
The Role of Economic Crisis in Escalating Violence
Iran’s deepening economic crisis, with families increasingly unable to meet basic needs,
has contributed to rising tensions and growing violence. This killing, like many others,
shows how financial pressure becomes a trigger for rage—with women often paying the
price.
One of the most dangerous trends in media and public discourse is labeling such
killings as mere “family disputes.” This framing shifts the killing of a human being into
the private realm, as if it were a personal matter, not a public and systemic issue.
Femicide—the killing of women because of their gender—must be named as such and

treated as distinct from other forms of homicide. In this case, the woman was killed
simply for resisting her husband’s demands and insisting on her right to make decisions.
t’s also critical to highlight the psychological trauma inflicted on the couple’s three
children, who were present in the home. Even if they didn’t witness the act, the impact
of such violence can mark them for life. The lack of a reliable mental health support
system for children exposed to domestic violence puts their future at serious risk.
This killing is one more among hundreds of femicides that occur each year in Iran under
the shadow of patriarchal norms, weak laws, and public indifference.
Now more than ever, there is an urgent need for:
 A comprehensive law to protect women against violence
 The creation of safe shelters
 Public education on nonviolent relationships
 And a reform of the judicial system
No disagreement, no hardship, no anger can justify a killing. Every moment of delay in
legal and cultural action could cost another woman her life.

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