The body of Leyla Goli, a 30 year old mother of two children aged 10 and 13, was found bearing signs of beating beneath Vahdat Bridge in Shahindezh on Saturday, November 7, 2026, according to reports received by the Hana Human Rights Organization. A shepherd came across her. She was from the village of Menbar, in Shahindezh County, and lived in the city.
Hana has learned that Leyla’s former husband, a man named “Hossein,” has been named as a suspect, and early reports point to the possibility that the killing was carried out under the so called “honor” motive. The precise details of how she was killed and the state of the judicial investigation remain unclear.
The possible “honor” killing of Leyla Goli once again raises the problem of violence against women within family relationships and after separation. No claim about “honor” can ever license the taking of a woman’s life. The Hana Human Rights Organization stresses the need for an independent investigation into this killing, for clarity on the criminal responsibility of the perpetrator or perpetrators, and for effective action against gender based violence.