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Romina Ashrafi: Iranian 13-year-old beheaded by father in her sleep after she fell in love with an older man

Ashrafi was decapitated with a sickle in her family home after police returned her home after she had eloped with the 35-year-old man she had fallen in love with
UPDATED MAY 27, 2020
Romina Ashrafi (Twitter)
Romina Ashrafi (Twitter)

Local media in Iran have reported the tragic death of a 13-year-old girl who was allegedly beheaded by her father in a case of "honor killing", causing an uproar among human rights activists and Iranian political figures on social media. Romina Ashrafi was decapitated with a sickle in her family home in Hovigh, Talesh county, after she planned to elope with a 35-year-old man she had fallen in love with, Iran International TV reported.

The teenager initially fled the family home after her father expressed outrage at her plans to get married to the older man. However, Romina and her lover were tracked down by authorities after both their families initiated a hunt. The couple was subsequently detained and Romina was sent home. According to local reports, authorities handed Romina back to her family despite her pleas that her life would be in danger at home.

Romina's father then went on to kill his own daughter while she was sleeping, before turning himself in to authorities and confessing to the crime. He was still holding the bloodied murder weapon at the time, reports claim. The girl's father is currently being held in custody as an investigation into the case is underway, according to District Governor Kazem Razmi.

Iran International reported that the vice pfor Women's Affairs, Masoumeh Ebtekar, has announced a "special order" to investigate the homicide. However, it is likely that Romina's father will escape the death penalty because he was her "guardian" - thereby making him exempt from 'qisas' or 'retaliation in kind', per Islamic Penal Code.

According to Al Arabiya, sharia law allows immediate family members, or 'blood owners', to demand an execution for the murder of a relative. But this only means most honor killings go unpunished - since families do not tend to demand the death of another family member. Romina's tragic story was highlighted by a number of national newspapers on Wednesday.

Pro-reform outlet Ebtekar wrote "Insecure paternal home" on its front-page headline, lamenting the non-existence of legislation to protect women and girls. The hashtag #Romina_Ashrafi in Persian has since gone viral on Twitter, with tens of thousands of users condemning the incident as well as the patriarchal Iranian society. "Romina is neither the first nor will she be the last victim of honor killings," wrote Shahindokht Molaverdi, a former vice-president for women and family affairs and the current secretary of Iran's Society for Protecting Women's Rights. According to her, such murders would continue "as long as the law and dominant cultures in local and global communities are not deterring enough."

"This is not the first time such a tragic incident occurs," Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad tweeted. "Years ago, Atefeh Navidi, a young girl from Iran, had her head chopped off by her father as well because she had a boyfriend."

"As long as the current laws discriminating against girls and empowering abusive parents exist, unfortunately the cycle of violence will continue. Iran will see more Ruminas and Atefehs tragically killed by their fathers. This cycle of violence needs to end," she added. While it is unclear how many honor killings take place in Iran every year, a Tehran police official has previously told Iran International they account for at least 20 percent of murders reported in the country.

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