Femicide in Kermanshah, Iran: Young Woman Murdered by Her Ex-Husband

Mohdeseh Mirzaie
Age: 30
Murdered: July 13, 2025
Residence: Kermanshah
Origin: Iran
Children: 1
Perpetrator: Ex-husband

The 30-year-old Mohdeseh Mirzaie from Kermanshah, a city in western Iran near the border with Iraq, was murdered on July 13, 2025, by her ex-husband, Mohammad Karami. He had invited her under the pretext of a reconciliation talk, but after an argument, he took her life. Mohdeseh was the mother of a five-year-old son. Her body was buried that same evening at the Chahar Marjan Cemetery. The perpetrator was arrested immediately after the murder.

According to figures from Stop Femicide Iran, at least 173 women were murdered in Iran in 2024 by male relatives or (ex-)partners. In the first half of 2025 alone, 45 similar cases have already been recorded. Although the exact motives vary from case to case, family disputes, relationship conflicts, honor-related violence, and the lack of legal protection often play a central role. Article 630 of Iran’s Penal Code even permits men, under certain conditions, to kill their wife and her alleged lover without punishment. Such laws, combined with the blood money system, result in many perpetrators receiving little or no punishment.

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.