Murder of Romina Ashrafi
2020 murder in Iran
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On May 12, 2020, Reza Ashrafi, the father of 14-year old Iranian girl Romina Ashrafi killed her as she slept in the family home in Sefid Sangan, Talesh, Gilan province.
Sefid Sangan, Talesh, Gilan province Iran
| Murder of Romina Ashrafi | |
|---|---|
Romina Ashrafi | |
| Location | 38°13′54″N 48°51′55″E Sefid Sangan, Talesh, Gilan province Iran |
| Date | May 21, 2020 |
Attack type | Murder by strangulation and decapitation |
| Weapon | Sickle |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Charges | Murder |
The day prior, police had forcibly returned Romina Ashrafi to her family's home after she eloped with 28-year-old Bahamn Khavari.
News of the murder caught national and international attention. Reza Ashrafi was jailed for nine years.
Background
Romina Ashrafi (Persian: رومینا اشرفی; born 2006) was a 14-year-old Iranian girl from Sefid Sangan, Talesh,[1] who eloped[2] with 28-year-old Bahamn Khavari in May 2020.[3] The couple eloped to Khavari's sister's house in Shalgun village.[1]
Romina's family opposed the relationship between her and Khavari due to differing religions between Khavari and Romina's family,[4] and her young age.[1]
In May 2020, using his telephone, Reza Ashrafi pretended to support their marriage and tricked the couple into arranging a wedding ceremony.[1] Reza Ashrafi arrived at the ceremony with police[1] who arrested the couple, before returning Romina to her father.[4] Romina reportedly expressed to police that she feared for her life, prior to being returned, against her will.[2]
Death
On May 21,[5] within 24 hours of being returned, Reza Ashrafi killed Romina by decapitation[6] using a sickle while she slept[3] in her bedroom.[2] He had earlier attempted to kill her by strangulation.[7] Later in court, Reza Ashrafi stated that he had killed her to clear his honour.[6]
Reza Ashrafi sought legal advice from a relative who was a law student, prior to the murder.[6] He received advice that honour killings were permissible under the Islamic Penal Code.[1]
Aftermath
Romina's funeral was held on June 5, 2020, at her grandfather's house in Sefidsangan village.
Judicial reaction
Reza Ashrafi was arrested the day after the killing[1] and later charged with murder.[6] Police described his motives as "honour".[1]
In September, after a trial at The Criminal Court of Gilan Province, Reza Ashrafi was sentenced to nine years in jail and ordered to pay financial compensation to Rana Dashti, Romina's mother.[6][8] Romina's mother stated that she would appeal the court's judgement, seeking a harsher penalty.[6]
Bahamn Khavari was cleared of abduction charges, on the basis of Romina consenting.[6] In response to the indecency charges, Bahamn Khavari was sentenced to 24 months in jail, 99 lashes and two years in exile.[6] Reza Ashrafi is held in Lakan prison in Rasht.[1]
Commentary
News of the murder provoked widespread public concern on social media[4] the #RominaAshrafi hashtag was used over 50,000 times[2] on Twitter commonly accompanied with condemnation for the murder.[5] Khavari was also criticised online for the age difference between him and Romina.[1] Khavari told BBC Persian that "love does not know age."[1] Khavari also stated that he had been in love with Romina for five years prior.[9] The legal minimum age to marry in Iran is 13 years for women.[9]
The official in charge of social welfare in the Gilan province call the killing "an example of a clear violation of children's rights".[4]
The news made the front page of several Iranian newspapers.[2] Ebtekar newspaper used the headline "Insecure paternal home" and stated that existing legislation provided insufficient protection for women and children.[2] Iranian president Hassan Rouhani called for the criminalisation of honour killings within days of Romina's death.[5] Iran's vice president of family affairs, Masoumeh Ebtekar spoke of her aspirations for a parliamentary bill that would introduce harsher punishments.[5]
Mahmoud Abbasi, Iran's deputy Ministry of Justice, attributed the murder to the "cultural poverty of the parents" and their lack of education.[10]