Lawyer of Romina Ashrafi’s Mother: This Case Should Not Be Limited to Religious Punishment
Ibrahim Nikdelmaqddam, the defense lawyer for Romina Ashrafi’s mother — the 13-year-old girl who was killed by her father — says the perpetrator committed the murder with premeditation, and in such cases, the punishment should not be limited to “religious penalty.”
In an interview published on Monday, September 1 in Sharg newspaper, he emphasized that in this case, given the “dangerous nature of the criminal” and the “extremely brutal” nature of the murder, “supplementary punishment” should have been imposed.
According to Mr. Nikdelmaqddam, Bahman Khavari, Romina Ashrafi’s father, was instigated by his relatives and testified in court that after “investigating” the matter and to “clean his honor,” he committed the murder of his daughter.
Romina Ashrafi was killed on June 21 of this year by her father with a sickle while she slept, after police brought her back to her home following a five-day escape with a young man.
Two days ago, the criminal court of Gilan Province issued a verdict against Romina Ashrafi’s father, sentencing him to 9 years in prison and payment of blood money on behalf of Romina’s mother.
Following the issuance of the verdict, Rena Dashti, Romina’s mother, said the court’s decision “brought fear and terror to me and my family” and that she will appeal against it.
According to Article 612 of the Islamic Penal Code, a father who kills his child cannot be executed, and if convicted in court, he is sentenced to payment of blood money and imprisonment of up to ten years.
Source: Radio Farda
