Historic Verdict on Family Honor Killing in Denmark

*** UPDATED***

Thanks to Rune for the corrections.


Dymphna wrote earlier this month about the honor killing of Ghazala Khan in Denmark. In a precendent-setting move, the Danish authorities put nine family members on trial, and not just the actual killer.

Now the verdict is in: Guilty. Reader kepiblanc, translating from Danish sources, has kindly provided the following summary:

The trial of an entire family of nine for the September “honor” execution of Ghazala Khan (18) ended today…

The trial marks a turning point in Danish judicial history. It sets a precedent and there will be no turning back. Until now contemporary jurisprudence would imply that the killer (executioner) is the one to blame and accordingly face punishment. But as from today not only the man who actually pulls the trigger, but his family and friends as well are held responsible and must face the consequences of their barbaric deeds.

The jury deliberated for about 20 hours and the verdict was very clear: All defendants were found guilty of premeditated murder as charged. They will face anything from 3 years to life in prison. Sentences can be appealed to the Supreme Court, but the verdict stands.

Deportations will likely be enforced.

The trial was unusual in more than one respect, even in these “honor killing” cases. Members of the jury were threatened, witnesses openly feared acts of violence from the Muslim community and thus were reluctant to testify. Several times during the proceedings the judge had to warn the Muslim audience that he would not tolerate intimidation. Seemingly unaware of the Islamic tradition of lying through one’s teeth whenever it suits one’s purpose, he had to warn several witnesses of severe punishment if they continued to do so.

The verdict sends ripples of shock across the Muslim community in Denmark…

Those convicted are as follows:

Ghulam Abbas:		57 years old
(father)		Convicted for urging the murder of his daughter and her husband
Aktar Abbas:		30 years old
(brother)		Convicted for the murder of his sister and for attempted murder of her husband.
Perveen Khan:		40 years old
(aunt)		Married to the brother of the mother of the murdered girl. Convicted for setting up the trap that led to the murder of the girl.
Walayat Khan:		46 years old
(mother’s brother)		Helped setting the trap for the girl, by way of a trick “reconciliation meeting”.
Anser Iqbal:		45 years old
(father’s brother)		Convicted for participating in the hunt on the girl.
Asghar Ali:		42 years old
(the elder)
Naweed Sharif:		30 years old
(friend of the family)		Taxi-driver; helped in the hunt for the girl.
Asghar Ali:		31 years old
(the younger; brother of aunt)		Helped in the attempts to track down the girl.
Ghulam Ahmed:		36 years old
(friend of the family)		Taxi-driver; helped in the hunt for the girl.

I had originally thought those were sentence lengths, and not the ages of the convicted perpetrators. Sentences have not yet been handed down.

I don’t know how early a parole the Danish system will allow, but in many European countries 15 years is what the average murderer will serve.

This does indeed seem to mark a turning-point in European jurisprudence dealing with Islamic honor killings. It will be interesting to see if other countries follow suit.


Note: I had Rune’s help in the translation of the lsit of conspirators and their relationships to the victim. There was some discrepancy between Rune’s version and the original Jyllands-Posten list. Further corrections from our Danish readers will be welcomed; I’ll amend the list and update the post if changes come in.