Based on a research carried out by the Office of Social Affairs of Iran’s Interior Ministry in 2004, 66% of all Iranian women have been victims of domestic violence in their marriage.
The Iranian regime has not presented new statistics, yet social media –Facebook, Twitter and Viber messages – indicate deteriorating security conditions for Iranian women.
Recently, an image of a swollen eyed Azadeh Namdari, a renowned TV anchorwoman has been published in several media outlets.
Hossein Aghakhani, Namdari’s lawyer, says all the evidence of domestic violence against this prominent TV anchor has been confirmed by the forensics. But despite these realities, domestic violence is not mentioned anywhere in the laws of the Iranian regime.
Aghakhani has filed other forms of domestic violence in the case such as forced lockup inside the house, breaking mobile phone with the intention of banning any kind of telephone communications, and threats. However, none of these forms of abuse are addressed by the law.
“Based on the existing laws we cannot file a complaint regarding an individual being forcibly locked in her home with no method of communication to the outside world for three days. We have been able to obtain the permission to file for a divorce, yet Ms. Namdari will continue to be threatened even after the divorce,” he added.
Farzad Hassani, Ms. Namadari’s ex-husband, issued an open letter, while not denying the charges of violence he has emphasized that he has not been charged by the courts for these acts and has stressed “private issues of a marriage belong to the couple only,” he stressed.
This issue is not just a single case of obscenity, but a system which has been built on suppression of women by the Iranian regime. Following Khamenei’s order to increase the country’s population, the regime’s parliament has adopted a bill dubbed “the Comprehensive Population and Family Excellence Plan”. Article 25 of this bill emphasizes, “The judiciary has ordered special salaries for those judges that are able to end divorce cases and uphold the marriage.”