An Iranian man has been sentenced to eight years and two months in prison for beheading his wife in a highly-publicized case that raised concerns about legal protections in Iran for women who are subject to so-called honor killings.
(Bloomberg) — An Iranian man has been sentenced to eight years and two months in prison for beheading his wife in a highly-publicized case that raised concerns about legal protections in Iran for women who are subject to so-called honor killings.
Sajjad Heidarnava was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for murdering his 17-year-old wife Mona Heidari last year, with an additional eight months for assault and public disturbance, judiciary spokesman Massoud Setayeshi told reporters on Wednesday.
The sentencing comes as Iran faces widespread criticism over its use of swift trials and the death penalty to punish people arrested in anti-government protests, which erupted in September after the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who’d been detained for allegedly violating Islamic dress codes.
Four men have already been hanged for crimes linked to the protests and the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights Group has reported that 109 protesters have been sentenced to death or risk facing execution.Â
Heidarnava’s brother, Heidar Heidarnava, was sentenced to 45 months imprisonment for his involvement in the murder. Though intentional murder carries a death penalty in Iran, Setayeshi said Heidarnava would only serve prison time because his victim’s family had pardoned him, in accordance with Iranian law.
‘Honor’ Killing
In February 2022, a video circulated on social media depicting Heidarnava in the streets of Ahvaz, capital of the southwest province of Khuzestan, parading his wife’s severed head and wielding a knife, sparking nationwide outrage.Â
Local media reported at the time that Heidari was 12 when her family arranged for her to marry her cousin, with whom she had a 3-year-old child. She reportedly suffered from domestic violence and fled to Turkey, but her father convinced her to return before she was murdered by her husband.
Though precise figures on the prevalence of so-called honor killings and child marriages in Iran are difficult to ascertain, publicized cases often trigger national outrage and calls for legal reform.Â
In May 2020, the murder of 14-year-old Romina Ashrafi at the hands of her father dominated headlines after she ran away with her boyfriend, local media reported. Her father was only sentenced to nine years in prison.
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