By: Rezvan Moghaddam

On Saturday, May 24, 2025, in yet another horrifying instance of domestic violence in
Iran, Zahra Aliyari, a 50-year-old woman from Miandoab in West Azerbaijan Province,
was brutally killed by her husband in their home. Multiple stab wounds were inflicted in
what local sources described as an extremely violent and merciless killing. The
perpetrator, identified by the surname “Shouri,” carried out the killing with extreme
brutality. The motive was cited as “family disputes”—a familiar understatement
repeatedly used to obscure the structural roots of violence against women. Zahra’s
body was buried in Miandoab the following day.
Zahra Aliyari’s killing is not a private family matter—it is a clear instance of systemic,
deeply rooted violence against women in Iran.
In a country where women lack effective laws against violence, protection mechanisms,
and responsive institutions, they are easily killed in their own homes—the very place
that should be their safest refuge. Killings like Zahra Aliyari’s are too often met with
silence or public indifference, turning the victims into faceless, nameless statistics.
Statement from the Stop Honor Killings Campaign:
We once again emphasize:
 Domestic violence is not a private issue; it is a social crime.
 Women have the right to legal protection, safe shelters, and access to justice.
 No “family dispute” should ever lead to the killing of a woman.
We demand:
 Immediate passage of laws criminalizing violence against women, including
deterrent punishments for domestic violence.
 Public education, cultural reform, and institutional accountability from law
enforcement and the judiciary.
 Official recognition of honor killings as a specific crime in Iran’s legal system.
 Preventive responsibility and timely intervention from judicial and law
enforcement institutions.

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Miandoab #WestAzerbaijan

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