Three members of an Iraqi family living in Phoenix have been sentenced to probation for their various roles in the abuse of a fellow family member who refused an arranged marriage.
Yusra Farhan, 50, pleaded guilty last month to unlawful imprisonment, and Mohammed Altameemi, 45, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct for alleged attacks against their 19-year-old daughter. The girl's younger sister, 18-year-old Tabarak Altameemi, pleaded guilty to assault.
See also:
-Yusra Farhan Cites "Iraqi Culture" As Reason For Beating Daughter With a Shoe
-Yusra Farhan Arrested Again, Along With Two Other Family Members
-Honor Thy Father
Farhan was arrested twice earlier this year -- once after an incident that landed her 19-year-old daughter in the hospital, and again after investigators discovered she allegedly tied up and burned her daughter for refusing an arranged marriage with a 38-year-old man back in November.
According to court documents previously obtained by New Times, Farhan was initially arrested on February 10 after telling police she beat her daughter with a shoe and tied her to a bed because her "Iraqi culture states that a female is not allowed to be having contact with males because females are not allowed to have boyfriends."
A week later, Farhan was arrested along with Mohammed and Tabarak Altameemi, after police got more details about the beating that put the woman in the hospital.
The woman's father, Mohammed Altameemi, got a call from the teacher about his daughter not going to class. He admitted he hit his daughter when she got home, but she told the cops he also put a knife to her neck and said he was going to kill her. He denied using or threatening a knife on his daughter.
After the alleged knife incident, Tabarak Altameemi "intervened" in the situation after her sister locked herself in her room. According to the documents, Tabarak Altameemi, her other sisters, and her mother kicked in the door and all assaulted her.
The woman later told counselors at school that her mouth was taped shut, and her hands and feet were tied to the bed.
The documents said Tabarak Altameemi admitted to tying up her sister with a metallic rope when they kicked down her door at home, but later told police it was her mother who actually did that. She also gave information about an attack the prior year -- during which she shattered glass over her sister's head -- but she didn't give any reasoning for that.
All three family members involved were sentenced to two years of probation with domestic-violence terms.