The day prior, police had forcibly returned Romina Ashrafi to her family's home after she eloped with 28-year-old Bahamn Khavari.

Romina Ashrafi (Persian: رومینا اشرفی; born 2006) was a 14-year-old Iranian girl from Sefid Sangan, Talesh,[1] who eloped[2] with 28-year-old Bahamn Khavari in May 2020.

[1] In September, after a trial at The Criminal Court of Gilan Province, Reza Ashrafi was sentenced to nine years in jail and ordered to pay financial compensation to Rana Dashti, Romina's mother.

[9] The official in charge of social welfare in the Gilan province call the killing "an example of a clear violation of children's rights".

[2] Ebtekar newspaper used the headline "Insecure paternal home" and stated that existing legislation provided insufficient protection for women and children.

[5] Iran's vice president of family affairs, Masoumeh Ebtekar spoke of her aspirations for a parliamentary bill that would introduce harsher punishments.

[5] Mahmoud Abbasi, Iran's deputy Ministry of Justice, attributed the murder to the "cultural poverty of the parents" and their lack of education.