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| Simin Sabri |
In an interview with Voice of America, psychiatrist and women’s rights activist Simin Sabri commented on a recent honor killing (domestic violence-related murder) that took place in the city of Khoy, West Azerbaijan Province. She stated that such incidents arise from the necessity of controlling women's attractiveness in patriarchal societies.
Explaining the causes of honor killings and similar crimes, Simin Sabri emphasized that they occur primarily in underdeveloped Eastern societies where keeping women under male control is considered essential.
“In societies where values such as honor and dignity are compromised, their opposites—disgrace, shame, and humiliation—emerge. When the first is damaged, the second comes into play. To restore honor, an honor killing takes place. This phenomenon occurs mainly in underdeveloped societies and stems from the patriarchal necessity of controlling women's sexuality,” said the Southern Azerbaijani psychiatrist.
She pointed out that, at their core, these crimes are often driven by religious, racial, and ideological motivations.
Referring to the tragic incident in Khoy, Simin Sabri highlighted that the victims of such events are not only the women who are killed:
"Don’t think that the father who committed this crime now feels at peace or walks proudly among his relatives. No! By doing this, people also kill themselves—they cease to exist."
Simin Sabri criticized Turkish activists for not responding adequately to such incidents, stressing that covering up these issues does not contribute to societal progress.
“We must not cover it up. For the development of our society, we need to focus on our problems and raise a loud, firm voice against the inhumane events occurring among us. This is an opportunity to investigate the root causes of such incidents,” added the activist, who currently resides in Norway.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Simin Səbri: Namus cinayətlərinin üstünü örtməyək, səbəblərini araşdıraq