Sheida Zamani

Tehran — Amid an atmosphere of grief engulfing Iran, many mothers remain unable to retrieve the bodies of their daughters or learn the fate of their detained children. Fear of severe punishment, threats of withholding the bodies of victims, and mounting security pressures have driven many families into silence.

Unofficial testimonies and accounts suggest that the number of missing or unidentified women may exceed what is reported in available sources. Some analysts view this as an extension of a policy of enforced disappearance aimed at concealing violence against women and subjugating society.

Mitra Sharifi (a pseudonym), a resident of Tehran, recounts the story of one of her friends who remains in detention, completely isolated from the outside world. Regarding the condition of this prisoner, whose name is withheld for security reasons, she explained that her family was told she was a “rioter” and was explicitly threatened with torture or rape if she failed to cooperate. They were also instructed to participate in a rally and document their attendance with photos and videos.

Mitra Sharifi’s concern grows as she points out that dozens of people — especially women — are still missing. In some cases, families did not receive confirmation of death until weeks later. These families have no knowledge of what happened to their daughters or when they were killed. While many male bodies were identified and returned during the first weeks, the fate of some women remains unknown.

Blackmailing Families… Linking the Return of Bodies to Forced Confessions

Sania J., another woman who experienced a similar situation, tells the story of her friend — a woman in her mid-twenties who left home and never returned. She affirms that the family searched for days without success, but amid the large number of bodies, it seemed as though women and children were being systematically and deliberately concealed.

She added, “After repeated visits, the family was redirected to the Kahrizak area. Once the identity was confirmed, they were unable to afford the fees required to retrieve the body. Now, days later, some children’s bodies have been returned, but the bodies of some women remain in the custody of the authorities.”

She further noted, “They showed the family photos of several detainees and told them: you must confirm that one of these individuals killed your daughter and demand the harshest punishment. Only then can you receive the body and bury her as a martyr.”

Transporting the Body in an Ambulance Accompanied by an Intelligence Vehicle

Accounts regarding the delivery of women’s bodies remain vague and troubling. Some families who managed in the early days to retrieve the bodies of their slain relatives spoke of strict restrictions and heavy procedures.

Sheida D., a woman from eastern Kurdistan who attended the funeral of a relative’s daughter, recounted: “Her body was completely covered from the beginning, and we were not even allowed to wash her. We saw only her face and the bullet wound in her neck. The body was then transported directly in an ambulance accompanied by an intelligence vehicle to the cemetery, where she was buried quickly in a grave prepared in advance.”

These recurring testimonies have intensified fears regarding the situation of detained, missing, or killed women.

Historical experiences — from the 1960s through recent waves of protest — show that women in Iran have consistently been at the forefront of both repression and resistance.

It is said that turning women’s bodies into a field for the exercise of power reflects the deep connection between patriarchy and authoritarianism — a relationship that seeks, through controlling and erasing women’s bodies in various ways, to send a repressive warning to society as a whole.