By : Rezvan Moghaddam

Honor-based killings continue to claim the lives of young women in Iran. In the latest
case, Maedeh Khatibian, a 21-year-old woman from Mashhad, was brutally killed by her
husband in a knife attack driven by suspicion The
incident underscores once again the urgent need to combat domestic violence and
confront destructive cultural norms.
On Tuesday, May 6, 2025, Maedeh Khatibian was attacked and killed by her 28-year-
old husband in Zeynabiyeh Street, Mashhad, with multiple stab wounds. According to
local sources and semi-official media, the violence was so severe that the number of
stab wounds was initially uncountable.
Following the killing, the perpetrator attempted suicide by cutting his own wrist and was
transferred in critical condition to a hospital in Mashhad. Some outlets, such as Rokna
News, withheld the victim’s name and focused only on the brutal details of the attack.
However, further reports reveal that the motive was the husband’s suspicion about his
wife, which places the killing clearly within the scope of honor-based violence.
Maedeh Khatibian’s killing is one of hundreds of examples that prove domestic violence
and honor killings in Iran are not isolated incidents, but part of a disturbing and
persistent pattern. A lack of effective legal protections, patriarchal culture, and
entrenched notions of male ownership over women fuel this ongoing cycle of violence.
In many such cases, suspicion, “honor,” or social pressure become pretexts for taking
women’s lives.
This case further highlights the urgent need to reform misogynistic laws, strengthen
social education, and establish genuine support systems to prevent such tragedies from
happening again.

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