Honor killing in Tehran: Murderer sentenced to three years in prison

Talat
Age: 55
Thrown into the well: April 4, 2024
Residence: Tehran, Iran
Children: -
Perpetrator: Husband

On Thursday, April 4, 2024, a 55-year-old woman named Talat, living in Tehran, was thrown into a well by her husband and murdered in the vast fields surrounding Varamin, a city just south of Tehran. On October 7, Talat's killer was sentenced to three years in prison and to pay blood money.

According to Khorasan newspaper, the 63-year-old man, identified as Asghar, turned himself in to police after the incident. He initially confessed to pushing his wife into the well, which allegedly caused her death. During his trial, however, Asghar changed his statement and claimed that he suspected his wife of having an affair with their male neighbor. He claimed that after he took her to the agricultural area in Varamin, she sprained her ankle, fell into the well and died.

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.