18-year-old woman killed by brother for marrying older man - report

"Honor killings" is a term referring to murders oftentimes committed with the motive of the victim's actions being shameful in some manner or the other to their family.

An Iranian woman attends a religious conference in Tehran (photo credit: REUTERS)
An Iranian woman attends a religious conference in Tehran
(photo credit: REUTERS)
An 18-year-old woman was murdered by her brother, who set her on fire, for marrying an older man in a reported 'honor killing', Al-Arabiya reported. Her brother was reportedly taken into custody.
The woman, after being set on fire within her house, spent a week in the hospital before passing away. She was in the house along with her husband, according to Al-Arabiya, citing IRNA news agency.
According to the report, Iranian Colonel Majid Rasoulzadeh-Farsad said that the brother killed his sister because there was a 12-year gap between her age and that of her new husband. He had attempted to prevent their wedding, but when he had not managed to do so, he set their house on fire.
The husband's condition has not yet been reported, according to Al-Arabiya.
The murder comes as social media is raging over the murder of 14-year-old Romina Ashrafi, who attempted to elope with her 35-year-old boyfriend when her father killed her using a farming sickle.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani requested that his cabinet speed up laws on "honor killings" amid the outcry over Ashrafi's murder, Iranian news outlets reported.
"Honor killings" have also been seen in Israel. For example, in November, 19-year-old Naljaa al-Amouri from Lod was strangled by her 32-year-old brother Mohammed. Their brother, 16-year-old Taha, was supposed to testify in court but went missing.
Najlaa was allegedly murdered by Mohammed in April.
"Honor killings" is a term referring to murders oftentimes committed with the motive of the victim's actions being shameful in some manner or the other to their family. These are for the most part carried out by family members of the victim.
Alex Winston contributed to this report.