Romina Ashrafi’s murder at the hands of her father provoked widespread reactions across Iran and throughout the world.
A group of the people of Sanandaj, capital of Kurdistan Province, staged protest rallies on May 28 and 29, 2020, over Romina Ashrafi’s murder. Most of the participants in the rally were women who held photos of Romina and chanted slogans against the regime’s misogynist laws on women and girls and child abuse.
The protest rallies took place on May 28 in Ayati Park and on Friday, May 29, 2020, in Abidar Recreation Center in Sanandaj.
Amnesty International condemned the Iranian authorities’ conduct, “We are horrified to learn that 13-year-old Romina Ashrafi was beheaded in her sleep by her father in an ‘honour killing’ in Iran. We’re appalled that the Iranian authorities repeatedly ignored Romina’s pleas for protection from her violent and abusive father.
“We call on Iran’s authorities and lawmakers to end the impunity for violence against women/girls and criminalize domestic violence. They must amend Article 301 of the Penal Code to ensure accountability proportionate to the severity of the crime, without resort to the death penalty,” Amnesty said in a statement on Twitter, Thursday.
Article 301 reduces punitive measures for fathers involved in “honor killings.”
UNICEF’s office in Iran also reacted to Romina Ashrafi’s murder by her father.
Mandeep O’Brien, UNICEF Representative in Iran, wrote in a statement, “We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Romina Ashrafi, a 14-year old Iranian girl, at the hands of her father. At a time when families all over the world are staying home to protect themselves from COVID-19, it’s particularly devastating that a child loses her life in such a brutal act of violence. Nothing justifies violence against children.”
As the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran said in a statement on May 28, the tragic death of Romina “is the outcome of the oppressive and medieval policies and laws of the misogynist clerical regime that encourage and promote violence against women and girls. The religious fascism ruling Iran is responsible for the murder of Romina Ashrafi.”
The NCRI Women’s Committee urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, the Human Rights Council, international forums, and the UN special rapporteurs for women and children’s rights to condemn the Iranian regime for its misogynist laws and practices that perpetuate such killings.
