A brutal man who beheaded his wife and paraded her severed head around has been pardoned by the victim’s parents, leading to a reduced prison term. The horrific incident took place in Ahvaz, Iran, where 17-year-old Mona Heydari was violently killed by her husband, Sajjad Heydari, and his brother Heydar.
Mona, who was married off at the age of 12, had fled from her abusive spouse and sought refuge in Turkey with another man. Despite her father’s efforts to bring her back to Iran, Heydari refused to grant her a divorce, ultimately resulting in her tragic death at the hands of her husband, who justified his actions by claiming she had dishonored him.
Disturbing footage surfaced showing the husband holding Mona’s decapitated head and a knife, moments after committing the gruesome act. Heydari was sentenced to seven and a half years for murder, along with an additional eight months for intentional assault. His brother, who helped dispose of the body, received a 45-month prison term for complicity in the crime.
The victim’s father defended the marriage, stating that the violence in their relationship was normal and praising Heydari as a good husband. He emphasized that the conflicts between the couple were typical and did not warrant a divorce. However, reports from the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran revealed that Mona had endured domestic abuse and was pressured to stay in the marriage for the sake of their child.
The Women’s Committee highlighted the prevalence of honor killings in Iran, attributing the rise in such crimes to the failure of the regime to address and criminalize these acts. Numerous honor killings are reported annually in Iran, with higher rates in specific regions like Khuzestan, Kurdistan, Ilam, and Sistan and Baluchestan.
The disturbing incident received widespread condemnation, with calls for stricter laws to prevent such atrocities in the future.