A 21-year-old man killed his 16-year-old fiancée in Maragheh, Iran

Unnamed woman
Age: 16
murdered: August 30, 2023
Residence: Maragheh, East Azerbaijan
Origin: Iran
Children: -
Perpetrator: fiancé

On Wednesday, August 30, a 16-year-old girl was killed by her 21-year-old fiance in one of the suburbs of Maragheh city. The accused was arrested after a few hours and confessed to the murder of his fiance. He cited a family dispute as the reason for this action.

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.