Italian court jails parents for life over ‘honour killing’ of Pakistani teen

An Italian court has sentenced a Pakistani couple to life in prison for the murder of their 18-year-old daughter, Saman Abbas. She was killed because she refused an arranged marriage, and her body was discovered at a farmhouse in northern Italy in November 2022, 18 months after she went missing.

Saman’s father, Shabbar Abbas, was arrested in Pakistan and extradited for trial in August. He pleaded his innocence, expressing disbelief at the idea of killing his daughter. Saman’s mother, Nazia Shaheen, was convicted in absentia as she is believed to be in hiding in Pakistan.

The court also sentenced Saman’s uncle, Danish Hasnain, to 14 years in jail for his involvement in the murder. However, two of her cousins were acquitted. Saman Abbas’s murder, labeled an “honour killing,” shocked Italy, leading to a fatwa against forced marriages by Italy’s union of Islamic communities.

Saman had moved with her family from Pakistan to Novellara in 2016. Her relationship with a young man drew her parents’ anger, and they wanted her to undergo an arranged marriage in Pakistan in 2020, which she refused. After living under social services’ protection, she returned home in April 2021, only to disappear shortly afterward.

CCTV footage showed family members carrying tools on the night of her disappearance. Saman’s body was found near the family’s home after her uncle revealed the burial location. The autopsy indicated a broken neck, suggesting strangulation.

While her father and uncle were apprehended in 2022, her mother remains at large in Pakistan. The court convicted both parents, despite Shabbar Abbas’s claims of innocence, stating that the trial is incomplete, and he wants to know who killed his daughter.

“Honour killings” are rooted in tribal customs where allegations against a woman bring dishonour to the family. These crimes are often committed when a woman refuses an arranged marriage or faces accusations of inappropriate behavior. In Pakistan, “honour killings” of women occur frequently, while a smaller number involve men. Recently, another similar incident occurred in the Kohistan district, where an 18-year-old woman was killed by her father and uncle based on doctored photos showing her with a man.

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