Ayatollah's justice: Outcry in Iran at nine-year sentence for man who beheaded daughter. By Patrick Wintour
Romina Ashrafi, a 14-year-old girl, victim of a so-called ‘honour killing’ in Iran. Twitter screengrab
An Iranian man who
beheaded his 14-year-old daughter has been sentenced to only nine years in
jail, in a case that has sparked outrage at the way Iranian law appears to
enshrine supposed male rights over women’s lives. Rana Dashti, the
mother of 14-year-old Romina Ashrafi, expressed fury at the lenient sentence in
an interview with the Iranian Labor news agency (Ilna) on Friday and said the
court’s ruling had “caused fear and panic for me and my family”. Romina was murdered by
her father after she ran off with a man aged 28. Dashti said she would appeal
against the decision, and that after 15 years she had no interest in continuing
to live with her husband.
She added she was
worried about the lives of her only son and other relations. “I no longer want
my husband to return to the village,” she told the news agency. The case has sparked
controversy in Iran about the frequency of so-called “honour” killings, the
rights of children, and gender bias in Iranian courts. Efforts to tighten the
law to protect children have previously fallen foul of Iran’s Guardian Council,
which ruled that parliament’s plans were un-Islamic. Critics say parts of
the Iranian penal code are predicated on the assumption that men are entitled
to discipline women and girls if they do not conform to the social roles
attributed to them.
Romina had pleaded
with the judiciary not to return her to her father since she feared he might
attack her, but her request was ignored. The father – who in
Iran is considered the “guardian” of his daughter – had filed a complaint, and
the girl, once summoned by the police, had begged the judge not to send her
home because she knew her father would try to kill her. According to an
interview following the girl’s death, it emerged that the father had repeatedly
asked his wife to make Romina kill herself for having dishonoured the family. She was murdered with
a scythe on 21 May after the father said he felt ashamed that she had run away
without his permission.
The security forces
also arrested Bahman Khawri, the 28-year-old man, who was sentenced by the
court to two years in prison. He claimed the girl’s father had refused to marry
her because of his Sunni faith. In response to a
question about the age difference between them, Khawri told local media she had
asked him to take her away from her father. “The girl loved me and took refuge
with me after her father used to beat her severely every day, affected by his
excessive drug addiction, and she asked me to save her from daily torture by
marrying her,” he said.
The sentencing has
caused outrage on Iranian social media because it is claimed that in more rural
communities such “honour” killings are frequent, and they are implicitly
endorsed by the Iranian state. The nine-year sentence
contrasts with lengthy jail penalties imposed on women who protest over laws
requiring the wearing of the hijab. In some Iranian
provinces, as many as 20% of murders are classified as “honour” killings. The case comes as an
Iranian #MeToo movement has started, with women on Twitter revealing details of
cases where they feel they have been pressured into having sex with men in
authority. Although women make up
more than 50% of university students, and they are becoming more involved in
the political process and decision-making, there continue to be obstacles to
finding well-paid work. Women make up only 19% of Iran’s workforce.
