Police in Iran have detained a man indicted of murdering his 14-year-old daughter in a so-called honour killing that has sparked broad outrage,the BBC reported.
Romina Ashrafi ran away from home in Gilan province with her 35-year-old boyfriend after her father opposed to their marriage, local media announced.
The two were discovered by police and Romina was sent home notwithstanding reportedly telling them she worried for her life.
Last Thursday night, she was supposedly assaulted by her father in her bedroom.
On Wednesday, several national newspapers highlighted Romina’s story on their front pages.
“Insecure paternal home”, read the headline in the pro-reform Ebtekar, which lamented the failure of existing legislation to protect women and girls.
Meanwhile, the Persian hashtag #Romina_Ashrafi has been used more than 50,000 times on Twitter, with most users condemning the killing and the patriarchal nature of Iranian society in general,the BBC added.
Shahindokht Molaverdi, a former vice-president for women and family affairs and the current secretary of Iran’s Society for Protecting Women’s Rights, wrote: “Romina is neither the first nor will she be the last victim of honour killings.”
She added that such murders would continue “as long as the law and dominant cultures in local and global communities are not deterring enough”.
Iran’s Islamic penal code reduces punitive measures for fathers and other family members who are convicted of murder or physically harming children in domestic violence or “honour killings”.
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