'Honor killing' of 14-year-old girl in Iran sparks outrage

Ashrafi, 14, attempted to elope with her 35-year-old boyfriend from the town some 320 kilometers northwest of Tehran, after her father objected to their marriage, local media reported.

By ALEX WINSTON
Girl wearing a hijab, illustrative (photo credit: PXFUEL)
Girl wearing a hijab, illustrative
(photo credit: PXFUEL)
The recent 'honor killing' of Romina Ashrafi in Talesh County, Gilan Province, has sparked outrage in Iran and on social media.
Ashrafi, 14, attempted to elope with her 35-year-old boyfriend from the town some 320km northwest of Tehran, after her father objected to their marriage, local media reported. After being found by police several days later, she was returned to her home despite telling police that she feared for her life.
Last Thursday night, she was allegedly attacked by her father in her bedroom and killed using a farming sickle.
Fars News reported that local district Governor Kazem Razmi announced that the girl's father was in custody and an investigation into the case was underway with details to be made public.
"The suspect, charged with murder, is currently in prison, and authorities are working to complete the case and address its various dimensions," Razmi said.
The deputy head of the Gilan Province's welfare organization for social affairs, Reza Jafari, described the murder as "an example of blatant violations of children's rights," Fars reported. Jafari also said his department "will make every effort to ensure the rights of the child. Furthermore, based on Article 5 of the Children Protection Act, the Prosecutor's Office has also stepped in to investigate the case".

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani requested that his cabinet speed up laws on "honor killings" amid the outcry over Ashrafi's murder, Iranian news outlets reported.
Rouhani pushed on Wednesday for speedy adoption of several bills, some of which have been held up for years among the various decision-making bodies in Iran.
"Without a doubt our heavy duty is the judicial follow-up of the issue and harsh punishment for the perpetrator of this crime," Deputy Justice Minister Mahmoud Abbasi said on Wednesday, IRNA reported.

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"But this issue isn't the end of the road. It's the beginning of a large and terrible road that requires us to take a step for the preventing of the sacrifice of Rominas in society."

Massoumeh Ebtekar, the vice president for women and family affairs, called for a bill focused on establishing security for women to be prioritized and expedited during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, according to IRNA.
A handful of Iranian newspapers featured headlines about Ashrafi's murder on their front page on Wednesday, and the Twitter hashtag #Romina_Ashrafi has been used more than 50,000 times on Twitter, with most users condemning the killing.

Reuters contributed to this article


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