Lantern of Freedom Movement: The Murder of Kubra Rezai Symbolizes Structural Violence Against Afghan Migrant Women

Sent to Zan TV

The Lantern of Freedom Movement of Afghanistan Women has strongly condemned the brutal murder of Kubra Rezai, a 26-year-old Afghan migrant woman in Tehran, describing it as “a painful symbol of structural and systematic violence against migrant women.”

In a protest gathering and a statement published on Tuesday (11 June), the movement said that the murder of Kubra Rezai reflects the bitter situation of women who fled the Taliban’s threats and deprivation only to face violence, discrimination, and injustice in neighboring countries.

The statement said, “Kubra Rezai was one of the thousands of Afghan women who took refuge in Iran to escape the Taliban’s threats, poverty, and deprivation, but there too became a victim of the same violence and injustice she had fled from.”

The Lantern of Freedom Movement further emphasized that the murder of Shaqayeq reflects the defenselessness of migrant women in Iran and the lack of legal, security, and humanitarian protections for them.

In its statement, the movement called for an immediate, transparent, and impartial investigation into this case and emphasized that the perpetrators must be sentenced to the maximum legal punishment without any immunity. It also called on international institutions including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to pressure the Iranian government to guarantee the safety, dignity, and human rights of Afghan migrants, especially women.

This comes after the human rights organization Hengaw had earlier reported the discovery of the mutilated body of a 26-year-old Afghan woman named Kubra Rezai, known as “Shaqayeq,” on 3 June in Tehran, the capital of Iran.

According to the organization, Kubra had disappeared about 50 days earlier while on her way to work, and her body was found among garbage. Her identity was confirmed through DNA testing, but parts of her body, her phone, and documents are still missing.

Hengaw also reported that Iranian security authorities had refrained from providing transparent information to the victim’s family and only gave a general update about the arrest of two suspects. According to the organization, on 7 June, Iranian security forces prevented the funeral ceremony for the victim.

Meanwhile, the state-run IRNA news agency also confirmed the arrest of one suspect but refrained from disclosing any details about the identity of the victim. The motive for the murder is still unknown.