IRAN: Romina Ashrafi, a thirteen-year-old girl was beheaded in her sleep by her own father in an act of honor killing in Iran.
The murder of Romina Ashrafi, has raised outrage in Iran. The father has been arrested by the police in northern Iran for killing his young daughter in an honour killing.
According to the local media Romina ran away from her home with her thirty-five-year-old boy friend because her father objected to their marriage.
Romina Ashrafi was from Hovigh, Talesh country from Iran who had fallen in love and wanted to marry her 35-year-old boyfriend Bahamn Khavari.
She was brutally beheaded by her own father while she was sleeping.
She was found by the police after her family filed a complaint with the authorities. A five-day hunt was carried out by the police before capturing them.
Romina Ashrafi
She repeatedly asked the police not to take her back as she will be killed. The police took her home as it is required by the Islamic Republic laws. Her father is said to have killed her with a sickle on May 21.
The father after killing his daughter handed himself over to the police. It is said he was still holding the blood soaked sickle when he handed himself over to the police.
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The social media is outraged with the murder of the young girl and Romina Ashrafi, is trending on twitter.
District governor Kazem Razmi
District governor Kazem Razmi said in a statement the father is in custody and the case is being investigated.
Vice President for Women’s Affairs Masoumeh Ebtekar
The Vice President for Women’s Affairs Masoumeh Ebtekar has given special order to investigate the murder of Romina. If convicted the father may face up to ten years in prison.
Al Arabia reports “Since he is the “guardian” of the victim, based on Iran’s Islamic penal code, the father will be exempt from “qisas,” an Islamic term meaning “retaliation in kind,” or retributive justice.”
According to the Sharia law only immediate family members can demand execution for the murder of relative.
This means most of the honor killings go unpunished as most of the families do not demand the death penalty.
A number of women and girls are killed in Iran in the name of honour. The murder of Romina has shocked the country and the world.
