Honor Killing in Maragheh, Iran: Somayeh Kiomarthi and Her Two Daughters Murdered

Somayeh Kiomarthi, Sanaz & Maral Dolatkhah
Ages: 38, 17, 9
Murdered: September 2, 2025
Residence: Maragheh, East Azerbaijan, Iran
Origin: Iran
Perpetrator: Husband (41)

On September 2, 2025, a triple murder occurred in the city of Maragheh, in East Azerbaijan province, Iran, sparking widespread outrage. Somayeh Kiomarthi (38) and her daughters Sanaz (17) and Maral (9) were killed in their home in the Favarali neighborhood.

According to independent human rights organizations, Somayeh was stabbed, after which the daughters were strangled. The perpetrator, her 41-year-old husband, later turned himself in to the Maragheh police.

State-controlled media referred to “family problems” as the motive, but other sources indicate that the murders were committed to preserve family honor.

Honor killings and femicide are a structural problem in Iran. Women and girls are regularly targeted by male family members under the pretext of “honor” or family disputes. Because Iranian law provides minimal protection for women and honor-related murders of women and daughters are often punished with significantly lighter sentences, a climate of impunity persists.

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.