An Iranian woman is trying to set a legal precedent by divorcing her husband because he has not showered for more than a year, a press report said on Wednesday.
The 36-year-old woman, only identified as Mina, reportedly told a Tehran court that her husband, Reza, smells so bad that even his children will not go near him.
“Everybody is making fun of us. We cannot go to any parties. I feel so ashamed,” the woman told the divorce court, according to the governmental Iran newspaper.
Iranian women wishing to divorce can only demand one if they can prove their husband has met strict criteria — including being impotent, abusive, a drug addict, in jail, unable to provide for the family or living away from home for more than six months.
Being smelly is not included in the list of marriage infractions, although a legal expert contacted by AFP explained that Mina could argue that the stink has caused her to hate her husband so much she can no longer live with him — something that is recognised as a valid justification.
According to the report, Mina complained that before developing an aversion to water, Reza used to have an obsessive compulsion to take “at least three showers a day and wash his hands every few minutes”.
“I have put up with him for eight years. I have had enough,” she said. — AFP