Honor killing in Rabat (Iran): 16-year-old girl murdered by her father

Haydeh Hassanzadeh
Age: 16
killed: june, 2023
Residence: Rabat, West Azerbaijan
Origin: Iran
Children: -
Perpetrator: father Omid Hassanzadeh

16-year-old Haydeh Hassanzadeh from Rabat, was brutally murdered by her own family under the pretext of what is considered honor. According to Hengaw, on September 18, the body of Haydeh Hassanzadeh, four months after her killing, was discovered by citizens while discharging water inside the Sardasht city dam. She was found with her feet tied to a cement block and her hands, eyes, and mouth sealed with tape. She had disappeared since June of this year. Her family had claimed that their daughter had left Iran to conceal the murder.

According to informed sources, Omid Hassanzadeh, the father of this 16-year-old victim is currently arrested and has confessed to the murder of his daughter. The reason for Hayede's murder was her coming home late, which was referred to as an honor-related motive.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.