Parvaneh Forouhar (, Eskandari (اسکندری); 20 March 1939 – 22 November 1998) was an Iranian dissident and activist who was murdered during the chain murders of Iran in November 1998.

Biography

Parvaneh Forouhar was Dariush Forouhar's wife. When they married, their witness in absentia was Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh and the clergyman marrying the couple was Ayatollah Zanjani. She became a member of the Party of the Iranian Nation when she was a university student, launching an anti-Shah campaign alongside her husband. Both husband and wife were proponents of a democratic and independent Iran and supported the separation of state and religion. They felt that the Islamic Republic led to a concentration of power and made political reform difficult. Threatened by governments figures, she had told human rights watchdogs based in New York: "We are living with the fear of being killed. Every night when we go to bed we thank God the Almighty for His blessing of living for another day."

Murder

On November 22, 1998, while 59 years old and ill, Parvaneh was stabbed 25 times and killed on the second floor of her home. Her husband, Darius Forouhar, was also murdered in the incident. According to Parvanah's daughter (Parastou), "At the time of her death my mother was wearing an overall over her sleeping gown which indicates that she was not waiting for anyone and because she was killed in front of the wardrobe where family documents were usually kept, she had most probably gone upstairs to fetch the deeds of the house to use it for release of my father on bail."

Context

The death of Parvaneh Eskandari Forouhar and Dariush Forouhar was followed by the assassinations of Mohammad Mokhtari and Mohammad-Ja'far Pouyandeh, two well known Iranian writers assassinated a few days later. The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence later denied responsibility for these assassinations and claimed Ministry employees had acted on their own accord. As of 2014, the government still refuses to allow the families of the victims to hold any vigils or ceremonies for their loved ones.

Family

The couple is survived by a daughter, Parastou Forouhar and a son, Arash Forouhar.