A 13-year-old Iranian girl was beheaded by her father in an “honor killing” while she was fast asleep, prompting national outcry, according to reports.
Romina Ashrafi was killed Thursday by Reza Ashraf as punishment for running away with a 34-year-old man from her home in Talesh, Iran International TV reported.
The teen fell in love with the older man, Bahamn Khavari, in her hometown, but her father opposed their relationship and she eloped with him, the outlet reported.
But both of their families called on authorities to have them brought home, despite the teen warning that would put her life in danger, according to the report.
She was located five days later with her lover and handed over to her father as required by Islamic Republic law, the outlet reported.
While she was asleep in a family room, her dad beheaded her with a sickle, which is a farming tool, according to the report.
Following the murder, the father showed up to the police, sickle in hand, and confessed to killing the teen, the outlet reported.
He was arrested but the law prohibits him from facing the death penalty since he is the victim’s guardian, the report said.
Under the current law, he faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
But the slaying has prompted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to call on his Cabinet to fast track harsher laws against “honor killings,” which are often carried out by relatives who believe the women have gone against conservative Islamic values on love and marriage.
Her case has also provoked outcry on social media, where the hashtag #RominaAshrafi has been used thousands of times, mostly to condemn the killing.
Shahnaz Sajjadi, an aide to the president on human rights affairs, said that the country “should revise the idea that home is a safe place for children and women.”
“Crimes that happen against women in the society are less than those that happen in the homes,” the aide told local media.
With Post wires
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