Ariana Lashkari Iranian teen girl killed in suspected honor killing by her father after she was caught with a man in a park.
‘I only meant to scare her.’ A father in Iran has shot dead his 15 year old teen daughter after catching her in a park with a boy in a suspected honor killing.
Mohammad Kazem Lashkari, 43, according to local media reports into a rage when he saw his daughter Ariana Lashkari, 15, in a park with a man.
After he was arrested Mohammad claimed he only wanted to scare his daughter with the shotgun when it accidentally fired, killing her in Nurabad, southern Iran, on June 27.
Told the man to police: ‘After an argument, Ariana went to my mother’s house and I could not control my anger.
‘I went there with my shotgun to scare her. I really did not mean to kill my daughter. I fired involuntarily.’
Refused to accept daughter’s independence
Casting doubt was one of Ariana’s relatives, who claimed her father had killed the teen girl after struggling to accept his daughter’s belief that she didn’t want a life of oppression according to the dailymail.
‘Ariana was a girl that didn’t enjoy being oppressed by her father,’ he told human rights activist Masih Alinejad.
‘She wanted to choose her own lifestyle and have a free mind. Accepting her views was hard for her father.’
Adding: ‘Ariana was a quiet girl who went to school every day full of hopes. This girl was very kind and caring.
‘All of her friends and classmates adored her. I’m still in shock. It’s unbelievable that Ariana is gone.
‘The regime is trying hard for this tragedy not to get published in the media.
‘I hope this innocent girl’s blood is not going to be trampled on like many other girls who have been murdered in this way.’
State sanctioned murder of women
In Iran the punishment for murder is usually death. However, the murder of a child or grandchild by their father or paternal grandfather is an exception and carries a maximum sentence of ten years.
In Iran 15 to 18 per cent of murders are so-called honor killings – which targets females as a result of their gender — aka femicide — and the expected roles women are expected to play in society. Up to 62 per cent of murders of women are committed by a family member according to a UK Home Office report.
A neighbour told local media Mohammad used to be a drug addict and had divorced his wife. He lived with Ariana and her sister, who he also reportedly threatened to kill.
The neighbour said they suspected he was acting under the influence of drugs again.
An investigation into the the teenager’s death is ongoing.
