Kurdish Women Victims of ‘Honor Killings’ in First Half of 1387 (2008)
August 28, 2008
Women rights activists have said that according to
this year’s data, the number of “honor killings” have increased.
The
other day the Committee Against Honor-Related Violence announced that the number
of murders in the first five months of this year stands at six. In this
regard Parvin Zabihi, an advocate for women in the Kurdistan section of Iran,
told radio Farda: “the figures announced by the committee are possibly less than
the actual number because since yesterday [Sunday] we have received news about
three more murder cases that will be announced once the details are
known”. According to Ms. Zabihi, in one case a woman was thrown out
of a moving truck, and in two other cases women burned themselves.
Considering these, Ms. Zabihi said: “clearly, the data is higher”.
The latest
cases published on ‘honor killings’ list two cases in Sanandaj, three cases in
Marivan and one case in Piranshahr. Amongst these, the murder of Fereshteh
Nejati is the most talked about.
Ms. Nejati was an 18-year-old girl, who
after two years of living with a man eighteen years her senior, returned to her
father house. However, her father accused her of an unfounded adulterous
relationship and slit her throat.
Women’s rights advocates in Kurdistan
considered Ms. Nejati’s funeral procession a rare occurrence in Kurdistan, since
against all dominant local customs, many women decided to participate in the
funeral ceremonies. The women’s participation was greeted with support
from men as they began calling slogans condemning discrimination based on
sex.
According to Article 220 of the Islamic penal code “when a father or
paternal grandfather kills a child, Ghesas (a religious term for punishment)
cannot be conducted, and the perpetrator is only liable for financial
restitution.”
Article 630 of the Islamic penal code states: “when a man
observes his wife during an act of consensual sex with another man, he (the
husband) can rightfully kill them both; and in case the wife was a
non-consenting actor, then the husband can rightfully kill the man. The
same is applicable to physical harms”.
According to legal practitioners, both
articles in the penal code are ways to license killing, and both articles are
cited by defendants in cases of ‘honor killings’ to escape the long arm of
justice.
Ms. Zabihi pointed to another example and stated: “I know of a man
who knocked his wife unconscious, set her on fire, and put a pillow over her
mouth to asphyxiate and silence her. Of course the women died, but before
her death she told the nurse what had happened. Considering such a
horrible act the man in this case ended up paying just 40,000,000 Rial (4,300
USD) as restitution”. Amnesty International issued a statement last month
that said: “the Islamic Republic discriminates and violates the rights of
Iranian Kurds, especially Kurdish women”.
Source: Radio Farda