Rouhani and Iran’s Justice Ministry Respond to Romina’s Brutal Murder
Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran, in response to the brutal murder of Romina, a 13-year-old girl, issued an order to accelerate the review of anti-violence bills. Mahmoud Abbasi, Deputy of Iran’s Justice Ministry, also called for “severe punishment” for the killer.
Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran, at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, May 27, expressed sorrow over the murder of Romina Ashrafi, a 13-year-old girl killed by her father in Talesh city, and ordered that anti-violence bills be reviewed with greater speed.
According to Iranian media reports, Romina’s father attacked the girl in her sleep on Tuesday and beheaded her with a sickle. According to law enforcement, Romina had fled with a young man, and after the family’s complaint, authorities arrested the two after five days and returned Romina to her home. The girl had asked officers not to return her to her family due to her father’s violent behavior.
This news sparked strong reactions in Iranian media and social networks, once again bringing the issue of domestic violence and honor killings to the center of public attention. On Wednesday, Iran’s president asked government officials to consider stricter laws regarding “honor killings” and to expedite the review of bills related to domestic violence.
Romina’s father has been arrested, but under current law will only be sentenced to payment of blood money (diyeh) or discretionary punishment. Article 220 of the Islamic Penal Code states: “A father or paternal grandfather who kills his own child shall not be subject to retaliation and shall only be sentenced to payment of blood money to the heirs of the deceased and discretionary punishment.”
With Romina Ashrafi’s brutal murder at the hands of her father, the discussion over domestic violence, honor killings, and related laws and bills has once again intensified—bills that have been raised for years through the efforts and pressure of child rights and human rights activists in Iran, but have not yet reached conclusion through lengthy administrative procedures and various decision-making authorities.
Call for “Severe Punishment” of the Killer
Mahmoud Abbasi, Deputy of Iran’s Justice Ministry and Secretary of the National Authority for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, also responded to this murder, saying: “Without a doubt, our grave duty is to pursue the judicial case and severely punish the perpetrator of this crime, but this is not the end of the road; it is the beginning of a great and serious path that requires us to take steps to prevent Rominas from becoming victims in society.”
Abbasi stated that regarding children, “we need a change in social perspective, and society must transform its emotional view of children into a rights-based view.”
Mahmoud Abbasi reminded us: “A father who still lives in the Middle Ages and still considers his child as his own property and does not recognize him as an independent human being who has rights like other children and humans; allows himself to assault him and even considers his life to be at the mercy of his own will.”
Iran’s Deputy Justice Minister called for “a harsh response and a heavy-handed echo at the societal level” to this bitter incident and this heinous crime, and said this response should be such that it “sounds the alarm bell to the people that children are the red line of society.”
Source: DW
