According to reports received by the Hana Human Rights Organization, on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, a woman identified as “Zahra Shahbazi,” a 32-year-old resident of Eilam, was killed by her husband using a firearm (a revolver).
Zahra Shahbazi was the mother of a 14-year-old son and a 9-year-old daughter and worked at Eilam University in the Banju area. A source informed Hana that Zahra had saved some gold with her salary, which her husband discovered and sold to purchase drugs. This led to an argument between them, during which Zahra Shahbazi was shot and killed by her husband.
The source added that her husband was addicted to drugs and had attempted rehabilitation several times but was unsuccessful.
The most significant factor contributing to violence against women in Iran is the lack of protective laws for women. The Islamic Republic intervenes in private matters, such as women’s freedom of dress, depriving them of fundamental freedoms. However, in areas where women and children require state intervention to protect them from domestic violence, the government remains silent, considering these issues as part of the private domain.
This lack of governmental and legislative intervention to support women has led to the emergence of exclusive justifications under concepts such as “honor” and “family dignity.” As a result, women are left without sufficient legal protection, subject to the control of fathers, husbands, or brothers. This unchecked authority, under the guise of family privacy, ultimately results in heinous crimes like this one against women.