A father beat his own daughter to death with an iron bar because she wanted a divorce, it has emerged on social media.

Victim Zinat Mazidi, 20, reportedly died of multiple head injuries caused by the merciless attack in the village of Dehno, in Zarrindasht County, in Fars Province, in southern Iran.

News of the killing first spread online on Saturday, 26th March.

Zinat’s father – not named in reports – is said to have killed her because she wanted to get a divorce for the second time.

A memorial service was held for the young victim on Monday, 28th March.

So-called ‘honour killings’ are widespread in Iran.

According to women’s rights activist Fatemeh Hassani, there are between 375 and 450 cases in the Islamic Republic every year.

According to official statistics, there around 1,800 homicides a year in Iran, meaning honour killings make up one in every five murders.

Given that many such killings are believed to be passed off as suicides or accidents, the true figure may be even higher.

The killings are believed to be widespread in Iran because the country’s hardline Islamic clerical regime tacitly tolerates them and the police turn a blind eye.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021 ranked Iran 150th out of 156 countries.

The same report placed Iran 108th in 2006, showing an erosion of women’s rights in the Islamic Republic in recent years.