Italy: Verdict for the "Honor" Killing of Saman Abbas

We have been following the sad story of Saman Abbas, the 18-year-old Pakistani girl who was murdered by her own family in Italy in 2021 for refusing an arranged marriage in Pakistan. Her parents, uncle, and two cousins all fled but were apprehended with the exception of her mother, Nazia Shaheen, who remains in hiding in Pakistan and was sentenced in absentia.

This week, an Italian court handed down its verdicts. The father, Shabbar Abbas, who was extradited from Pakistan, is sentenced to life imprisonment, as is the mother, . Saman’s uncle, Danish Hasnain, who was the principal perpetrator of the murder, received fourteen years, while Saman’s two cousins, were acquitted.

This is hardly the outcome many of us had hoped for. Presumably, Hasnain, who was considered the most culpable, received more lenient treatment because he led police to Saman’s remains. 

The below article from Isole24ore, is translated by Fousesquawk. 

https://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/ergastolo-genitori-saman-14-anni-zio-assolti-cugini-AFwEzl7B?refresh_ce=1

Life imprisonment for the parents of Saman, 14 years for the uncle, cousins acquitted

No compensation for the brother and boyfriend of Saman, both civil parties in the trial of the death of the 18-year-old.

19 December 2023

Caption: Shabbar Abbas, the father of Saman, extradited to Italy, took off from Islamabad, 31 August 2023.

Life imprisonment for the father, Shabbar Abbas, and for the mother, Nazia Shaheen. Fourteen years for the uncle, Danish Hasnain. The cousins, Ibrahim Ijaz and Nomanhulaq, were acquitted and ordered released immediately. The criminal court of Reggio Emilia ruled in the Saman Abbas (18) murder trial after almost five hours of deliberations.

No compensation for the brother and boyfriend of Saman, both of whom were civil parties in the trial for the death of the 18-year-old. It emerges from the ruling by the Reggio Emilia Criminal Court that the parents are sentenced to life imprisonment, fourteen years for the uncle, while acquitting the two cousins. Compensations are instead granted to associations for violence against women (25,000 euros each), to the Islamic ones (10,000 euros), to the Union of Lower Reggio Municipalities (30,000 euros) and the municipality of Novellara (50,000)