Yahoo Movies Grieving mother slams nine-year sentence for Iranian man who beheaded daughter
A father who beheaded his 14-year-old daughter in Iran has been sentenced to only nine years in jail.
The killing of teenager Romina Ashrafi in the Iranian town of Talesh, some 198 miles northwest of the capital Tehran, prompted a nationwide outcry.
Her father beheaded the 14-year-old while she slept with a farming sickle on May 21 this year.
He was apparently enraged after she ran away with 34-year-ol Bahamn Khavari in Talesh, whom she reportedly wanted to marry.
Rana Dashti, Romina's mother, told the Iranian Labour news agency (llna) the court's lenient sentence had "caused fear and panic for me and my family".
“I no longer want my husband to return to the village,” said Mrs Dashti.
She called for her husband to be given the death penalty and added that she would appeal against the court ruling.
Iran’s president urged his Cabinet to speed up harsher laws in honour killings, following the news of the murder.
President Hassan Rouhani pushed for speedy adoption of relevant bills, some which have apparently shuttled for years among various decision-making bodies in Iran.
In rural areas of Iran, it is unheard of for teenage girls to run away from home to be with their boyfriends.
Under the law, girls can marry after the age of 13, though the average age of marriage for Iranian women is 23.
It is not known how many women and young girls are killed by family members or close relatives because of their actions, perceived as violating conservative Islamic norms on love and marriage.
