Honor killing in Urmia, Iran: Young woman killed by her 15-year-old brother

Vida Dehghan
Age: 20
Suffocated: October 28, 2023
Residence: Urmia, West Azerbaijan Province
Origin: Iran
Children: 2
Perpetrator: brother Kamran (15)

A young woman from Urmia was killed by her 15-year-old brother due to 'honor'. According to human rights organization Hengaw's report, this incident occurred in Urmia on the night of Saturday October 28, 2023. The victim, Vida Dehghan, was 20 years old.

Kamran suffocated his sister and then went into hiding. It is worth mentioning that Vida Dehghan was a mother of two children. She had separated from her husband a few years ago after two years of married life and had returned to her parents' home.

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.

Ralph Geissen

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Ralph Geissen