https://tounesnanews.com/2020/05/28/iranian-state-media-accused-of-editing-photo-of-13-year-old-beheaded-by-her-father/
Iranian state media accused of editing photo of 13-year-old beheaded by her father
Iran‘s state media has been accused of editing a photo of a 13-year-old girl beheaded by her father in an honour killing to make it look as if she is wearing a full hijab.
Romina Ashrafi was killed with a farming sickle as she slept in her family home in Hovigh, northern Iran, on May 21 as ‘punishment’ for trying to marry an older man.
The news was widely reported in Persian-language media, but state-run newspaper Jame Jam appears to have photoshopped an image of Romina to cover her hair. Iranian state-run newspaper Jame Jam appears to have photoshopped an image of beheaded teenager Romina Ashrafi (actual image right) in order to cover up her hair (left)
The first image of Romina that went around the world this week showed her standing next to a pot of flowers with a pastel green headscarf on.
The scarf is sitting further back on her head meaning that the front of her hair is showing – which violates Iran’s strict modesty laws.
Another image, which seems to have appeared in Wednesday’s edition of the newspaper, shows Romina with her hair fully covered.
Masih Alinejad, a US-based Iranian journalist who has long campaigned to overturn Iran’s modesty laws, tweeted the image along with several other accounts.
She wrote: ‘Shame on Islamic Republic state media for covering Romina’s hair by photoshop.
‘She was 13 and murdered by her father. Now they depicting the victim of an honor killing in ‘appropriate hijab’ for her honor.
‘They killed her again. This is gender apartheid not cultural difference.’
Alinejad has herself been the target of regime attacks in the past, and her brother is currently in jail in Iran. She is campaigning for his release.
Romina’s killing prompted fury in Iran when it was first reported this week – including by Iran International TV – and has led to calls to toughen up ‘honour killing’ laws.
The teenage girl initially fled the family home with 34-year-old Bahamn Khavari after her father expressed outrage at their plans to get married. The killing of teenager Romina Ashrafi in the Iranian town of Talesh, around 198 miles northwest of the capital, Tehran, has prompted a nationwide outcry
But both of their families contacted authorities, leading security forces to conduct a five-day hunt before detaining the couple and taking Romina home.
Local media reported that although Romina told authorities she would be in danger at home and feared for her life, they handed her back as required by law.
After committing the murder, Romina’s father allegedly handed himself in to police and confessed to the crime – while still holding the bloodied murder weapon.
District governor Kazem Razmi said the girl’s father is being held in custody and an investigation into the case is underway.
While Iran’s policy of ‘an eye for an eye’ would usually justify the death penalty in murder cases, it does not apply to fathers who murder their daughters.
The maximum sentence Romina’s father could expect to receive is 10 years in jail, according to the vice president for women and family affairs Masoumeh Ebtekar.
That prompted President Hassan Rouhani to plead for the speedy passing of several anti-violence bills that have stalled before being written into law.
Ebtekar said on Twitter that a bill on the protection of young people was in the ‘final phase’ of validation by Iran’s Guardian Council.
The council, which vets legislation to ensure compliance with Iran’s constitution and Islamic sharia law, has thrice previously called for changes to the law after it was passed by lawmakers, Ebtekar newspaper wrote.
The publication fears that if the council sends back the bill, it will be buried by Iran’s new parliament, which held its first session Wednesday and is dominated by conservatives and hardliners opposed to Rouhani.
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Post time 31-5-2020 06:36 PM
