On Tuesday, new reports revealed that honor killings surged in the Islamic Republic of Iran in the past 17 days, with at least 13 women murdered in reported incidents.
One recent case included a young 20-year-old Iranian woman named Razieh Hasanvand, who has been in a coma since October 14 after being shot, according to the Hengaw Human Rights Organization.
The young woman was a mother of one and had previously divorced her husband, who was her cousin, despite opposition from her family.
"This is clearly an underreported issue as honor killings generally take place within the family, with a brother, father, or uncle committing the killings and keeping them secret to the best of their abilities," said Lisa Daftari, Editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk.
Daftari noted that the Islamic Republic of Iran has "more recently become even more stringent about how women dress, act and their actual place in Iranian society."
"In the aftermath of the murder of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old who was beaten for not wearing proper Islamic hijab, women in Iran became emboldened to defy the laws of the mullahs and to redefine themselves in society. Over the past year, we see the Islamic Republic not only enforcing their morality laws but doubling down on surveillance as well as punitive measures," Daftari explained.
Hengaw stated that Razieh had been under immense pressure from her brother to remarry another man. The human rights organization noted that her brother shot her because she had "left the house."
In another report from Hengaw, from September 29 to October 16 of this year, 13 women in various Iranian cities faced honor killings.
The exact number of such murders in Iran remains unknown, because of the secretive nature of the killings.
However, in December 2019, the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) stated that 375 and 450 such killings occurred annually throughout the country.
Officials say the lack of transparency from the Islamic regime and lack of reporting of such deaths indicate that the number is likely to be far higher.
Many have pointed to the Islamic legal system and Iran's deeply ingrained Sharia-like culture and traditions.
"It begs the question, where are the women's rights activists around the world who should be outraged at innocent women being murdered in the name of 'honor.' These crimes should be highlighted and called out by public and private institutions around the world to gain international attention for these heinous acts," Daftari said.
Related Story: Watch: ‘WOMEN OF IRAN’
