By: Rezvan Moghaddam

In one of the most brutal cases of so-called “honor killings” in Iran, Simin Joghatayi, a
20-year-old law student at Azad University of Taybad, was tortured and ultimately killed
by her four brothers. The alleged reason: speaking on the phone with her boyfriend. The
horrific crime occurred on Saturday, July 12, 2025, in Taybad, a city in Razavi Khorasan
Province.
According to local reports, Simin was subjected to a week of brutal beatings and torture
at her father’s house. Her body was so severely disfigured that identification required
specialized examination. Local sources stated the motive as “preserving family honor”,
a concept repeatedly used to justify the killing of women.
How Law Enables Crime?
What transforms this tragedy from a family crisis into a legal and social catastrophe is
the role of the law and the complicity of the parents. Though the four brothers were
arrested, the parents, who hold legal status as the victim’s next of kin, have expressed
consent, paving the way for the killers’ potential release. According to some reports,
their freedom may be imminent.
Iran’s legal system does not classify “honor killings” as gender-based violence. Instead,
it uses patriarchal concepts like “guardianship rights” to justify or reduce punishment.
Article 301 of the Islamic Penal Code exempts fathers and paternal grandfathers from
qisas (retributive justice) for killing their children. Under this framework, if the parents as
legal heirs waive their right to retribution, the perpetrators can walk free.
Simin Joghatayi is not just a name. She is the symbol of countless girls victimized by
patriarchal family structures and a justice system that fails to protect them. She was a
law student, a young woman with a bright future, who fell victim to the very laws that
were meant to safeguard her. Her killing lays bare the profound disconnect between the
notions of “law” and “justice” in a country where the concept of “honor” still casts a
deadly shadow over women’s lives, and domestic violence is often cloaked in the garb
of tradition and religion.
This is not just the killing of Simin—it is the killing of hope, of independence, and of
women’s right to control their own lives and bodies. To confront this horrifying pattern,
we must:
 Reform legal protections for women and ensure “honor” killings are prosecuted
without leniency

 Eliminate the role of family consent in gender-based murder cases
 Demand that cultural and media institutions challenge the notions of “honor” and
“male pride”

Simin Joghatayi’s killing must be the final alarm, not just for women’s rights activists but
for a society that still considers a daughter’s death an act of “family discipline,” not a
national tragedy.

#StophonorKillingsCampaign

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#Taybad_RazaviKhorasan

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#WomenHaveTheRightToLive

#NoToViolenceAgainstWomen

#IslamicRepublicIsResponsible

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