By: Rezvan Moghaddam

On Sunday, July 13, 2025, Zahra Shakari, a 17-year-old girl from the village of Khabar
in Shahr-e Babak County (Kerman Province), was killed by her sister’s husband with the
help of her sister and other close family members. The family staged the scene to
portray her death as a suicide and, using their influence, prevented any legal
investigation or forensic examination.
According to local sources, Zahra, a teenage student, was threatened by her sister and
brother-in-law after they discovered she had exchanged friendly messages with a boy.
One of her relatives reported that Zahra had confided in them, saying she was under
pressure and threats due to this relationship. Hours later, her body was found hanging
in a position that, physically, would have made suicide impossible.
Initial evidence showed bruises on her back, visible wounds on her head, and bleeding
from the ears. Despite these clear signs of violence, the family blocked the transfer of
the body to the forensic medical examiner. They used personal connections to stop any
formal legal proceedings. The official cause of death was quickly declared as “suicide.”
Zahra Shakari is one of the many femicide victims in Iran whose deaths are falsely
registered as “suicide” or “accidents” instead of being acknowledged as “honor killings.”
This pattern not only grants impunity to the perpetrators but also highlights the systemic
complicity of the state, including law enforcement, the judiciary, and even medical
institutions, in concealing the truth and perpetuating violence against women.
In a country where concepts like “honor” and “male pride” are legally and culturally
protected, and where women are deprived of even the most basic personal freedoms,
victims are not only left unprotected by the law, but they are also silenced and buried by
it.
Zahra took her dreams to the grave, but we who remain alive bear responsibility.
Activists, movements, and every person refusing to stay silent in the face of femicide
must:
 Expose the truth
 Resist patriarchal culture and misogynistic systems
 Be the voice of the victims
The Stop honor Killings Campaign calls for the reopening of Zahra Shakari’s case,
the referral of her body for a forensic autopsy, an impartial and transparent
investigation, and the public disclosure of the truth.

If you want to help stop the cycle of “honor killings,” share our message and stand with
us.
info@stophonorkillings.org
Instagram: @stophonorkillings_iran

#StopHonorKillingsCampaign

#ZahraShakari

#ShahrBabak_KermanProvince

#SafetyForWomen

#WomenHaveTheRightToLive

#NoToViolenceAgainstWomen

#IslamicRepublicIsResponsibleForFemicide

#NoToMisogynisticCulture

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