According to the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor of Qazvin, in the early hours of the morning, a final-year male dentistry student entered the clinic of the Qazvin School of Dentistry and fatally shot a female classmate with four bullets from a military-grade handgun. Initial reports indicate that the two students were on the verge of graduation and were in the process of ending a romantic relationship. Following the murder, the assailant died by suicide using the same weapon.
The Hana Human Rights Organization unequivocally identifies this murder as a glaring instance of femicide and vehemently condemns it. Femicide is never merely an isolated crime; it is the direct outcome of systemic structures wherein men surrounding women from family members to romantic partners assume ownership over women’s bodies, autonomy, and lives. “Honor”-based laws, entrenched patriarchal norms, and a pervasive culture of controlling women effectively empower men to retaliate against the termination of a relationship, a woman’s independence, or her right to choose with extreme violence, including murder.
While the Islamic Republic aggressively legislates the most intimate facets of women’s lives and severely restricts their fundamental freedoms, it has utterly failed to establish any effective protective mechanisms to safeguard their right to life, security, and dignity.
The Iranian legal and judicial apparatus by perpetuating discriminatory laws, turning a blind eye to gender-based violence, and neglecting to provide preventative protection for at-risk women actively facilitates the continuation of femicide.
Hana reiterates that a woman’s right to life must never be sacrificed at the altar of “honor,” male ownership, romantic entanglements, or legal silence. Eradicating femicide demands the immediate repeal of discriminatory legislation, the robust criminalization of gender-based violence, the implementation of preventative safeguards for women facing threats, and the dismantling of the cultural and legal impunity enjoyed by men who perceive violence against women as their inherent right.