Mom accused in 'honor beating' denies allegations

PHOENIX - An Iraqi mom accused of beating her 19-year-old daughter for talking to boys is out of jail and says she is not guilty.

Yusra Farhan was arrested Wednesday after police say her daughter told school officials that her parents beat her and then tied her to a bed in their home because she talked to a boy.

She sat down with ABC15 and said she admits to hitting her daughter who lied to her and used foul language, but denies ever beating her as police allege.

"She was talking to a boy and our culture says no boyfriends," Farhan said. "We have to respect our culture."

Her daughter Aiya defended her mother saying that she understood why her mother hit her and said that she agreed with her discipline. She also said that it didn't happen the way the police said it did. She said she was only hit once and that she was never restrained.

Farhan and her daughter told ABC15 that Aiya suffers seizures and she was having one the day she went to school and talked to school officials. 

"I don't speak good English," said Aiya. "When I'm having a seizure I don't know what I say."

Aiya and her mother said that she was hospitalized for the seizure not for injuries due to the beating as police alleged.

"I love my mother," Aiya said. "I can't live with out my mother."

Farhan has three other daughters who defended their mother as well. The family lives near 35th and Glendale avenues where they appear to be a close knit family.

Farhan was charged with assault, unlawful imprisonment, and resisting arrest. Court records indicate that she refused to walk on her own and had to be carried to the patrol car.

The family alleges that police treated her roughly unnecessarily and bruised her arm.

The father was not arrested.

The family is hoping to have charges dropped.

They believe the cultural and language barriers created confusion.