SHAHLA MOHAMMADI

NEWS CENTER_ The murder of Maryam Yarmohammadi by her brother on Qeshm Islend in Iran sparked widespread reactions, especially after reports and video clips revealed gatherings of members of her family in fromt of the hospital in support of her brother, and their demand for his release. The most catastrophic aspect of this tragedy is that the name of the killer and the rest of the men family appeared in the death obituary as the owners of the condolences.

This crime does not represent an isolated incident but reveals a partriarchal structure that links honor and sovereignty to controlling the woman’s body, and grants the men of the family and the tribe the authority to subjugate her in the name of “honor.” In light of the complicity of some of those around the victim, and the failure of the state and the law to protect her, violence against women continues and worsens within the triangle of family, society, and state.

To learn about the reasons for the increasing femicide crimes, and the role of the state, law and society in the worsening of killings under the pretext of honor in Iran, our agency conducted the following dialogue with Rezvan Moghaddam, an activist in the field of women’s rights and spokesperson for the “Stop Honor Crimes” campaign.

How do you assess femicide crimes in light of the case of Maryam Yarmohammadi, and what are the most prominent factors contributing to the worsening of these crimes?

From Romina to Ghazal, and reaching Maryam, femicide crimes are repeated day after day, in different forms of violence and brutality. When I learned of the killing of Maryam Yarmohammadi, her body was still in the hospital, and there was not a sound spot on her body; she was stabbed in her breasts and genital organs repeatedly. What is harsher is that her brother is the one who committed the crime, while people gathered in front of the hospital in protest against the attempt to save her, asking why they were trying to keep her alive.

The details of the case indicate that the crime was orchestrated in complicity with the husband. Honor killings are often premeditated, and the perpetrator works to regain the victim's trust or prepare the appropriate conditions to kill her.

It is difficult to talk about these crimes, but their truth must be confronted: the state, the law, and the family form a triangle whose roles overlap in producing and perpetuating violence against women. Iranian laws do not deter these crimes sufficiently, and may even encourage them; a father, for example, knows that he may be exempted from punishment in his capacity as the avenger of blood, as happened in the case of Romina Ashrafi, who was killed by her father. Therefore, these laws that grant the father authority over the lives of his children and open the door to impunity must be changed.

The state bears another responsibility, which is education; the educational system based on discrimination contributes to reproducing the culture of violence. As for the family and traditions, they play a direct role in some of these crimes, as we saw in the cases of Ghazal and Maryam, where family members were involved in violence and killing. Some women, unfortunately, may stand on the side of the men who practice control and violence. If the efforts of the state, law, and family combine to confront these crimes, real change is possible.

Here the necessity of questioning the term "honor crimes" itself emerges; the victims are not only women, but may also be men, killed because of an attempt to control their bodies and choices. The use of this term should not mean justifying the crime in the name of honor, but should be an entry point for deconstructing and questioning this concept.

As for the increase in these crimes, it is linked, among other factors, to the rise in women's level of awareness and education. After educational opportunities were limited for many before the Iranian revolution, women today constitute a large proportion of those admitted to universities, with their proportion exceeding 60% in some periods. In return, tensions related to the change in women's roles and status are escalating, in light of cultural and educational discourses that entrench masculine dominance and link a woman's behavior to a man's "jealousy," as in some slogans suggesting that a woman's lack of modesty is evidence of a man's lack of jealousy.

The combination of these factors fuels an escalating wave of honor killings. Evidence of the seriousness of the situation is that we were only able to document nine crimes of this kind during the past week alone, which reveals the scale of violence facing women and the necessity of confronting its legal, social, and cultural roots.

How did the family institution acquire this sanctity that makes it immune from criticism and intervention, even when it turns into a source of violence and danger to women?

Unfortunately, there are some wrong traditions and beliefs among a number of tribes, according to which a woman must be obedient, and is dealt with as part of the "family's honor." This mentality is manifested in the prevailing culture and daily language, which makes it necessary to subject it to criticism and challenge.

Changing this strict and closed culture requires continuous efforts, especially since some practices, including those related to clothing and modesty, are presented as part of honor and values that must not be touched. What is more dangerous is that some women may not realize the extent of the violence inflicted on them, and may sometimes justify it as a result of social upbringing.

Therefore, education is considered a fundamental entry point for confronting these beliefs, in light of the state's failure in this field, which makes the responsibility for change collective. The experiences of some countries, such as Iceland, have shown the importance of continuous efforts in confronting violence based on so-called honor.

According to UN data for 2022, about 76,000 women were killed around the world, while cases of killing women and girls by family members were estimated at about 48,800 cases, with high numbers recorded in Asia and Africa.

Why are honor killings surrounded by ethnic and religious sensitivities that impede revealing their true scale, even though there is no justification for linking the reputation of society to a woman's body?

Honor killings are committed throughout Iran, but we lack accurate statistics, especially in areas where women's rights defenders are not active, where news of these crimes does not reach the media. For example, news of these crimes is rarely published in Sistan and Baluchestan province, which makes the available figures much lower than reality. Although more cases are recorded in Tehran, their rate relative to the population may be lower than in other cities.

Our experiences reveal that there are pressures to keep these crimes secret, for fear of harming the region's image. At one event, a woman from Azerbaijan spoke about their being asked not to publish the news for this reason. This is similar to what happens within some families, when crimes are hidden and talking about them is prevented. Concealing these crimes contributes to protecting their perpetrators and opens the field for the continuation of violence.

With the expansion of movement and migration within Iran, these crimes cannot be confined to a specific group or region. Most importantly, the discussion should not turn to ethnic or geographical affiliations, but should focus on condemning the crime and holding its perpetrators accountable, regardless of their identity or affiliation.

What is the responsibility of individuals in confronting this violence? And why do those who are supposed to protect and support victims side with the aggressor instead of supporting them?

Everyone who encourages these acts bears responsibility for them, each according to their role. Not all those present necessarily stabbed Maryam with the knife, but some of them contributed to preparing the conditions that led to her killing. Everyone who justified her killing or considered that she deserved to die contributes to entrenching violence and preparing the conditions for the recurrence of these crimes.

In return, the absence of awareness may be one of the reasons for adopting these beliefs; if these people realized the impact of their positions and actions in fueling violence, perhaps their responses would differ. Hence, the importance of education, media, school, and family in spreading awareness and entrenching a culture of gender equality, starting from home and reaching educational institutions. The state bears a fundamental responsibility in this field, alongside the responsibility of everyone who can contribute to raising societal awareness and reducing violence, to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies.