Cultural Enrichment in Pordenone

It’s remarkable how much alike all these honor-killing reports sound. Across the length and breadth of Europe, from Slagelse to Grizza, whether in English, Italian, French, Swedish, Dutch, Danish, or German, the story is the same.

This one just happens to be in northern Italy. According to Corriere della Sera:

Man Kills Daughter over Affair with Italian

Woman of Moroccan origin murdered in woods near Pordenone. Northern League condemns “another Hina case”

MILAN — Sanaa was stabbed by her father in her partner’s car. The 18-year-old of Moroccan origin bled to death in a wood at Montereale Valcellina, in the province of Pordenone, where she was trying to escape her parent’s fury. Religious motives may lie behind the crime. The victim’s full name is Sanaa Dafani and for the past four or five months, she had been going out with Massimo De Biasio, 31. Her 45-year-old father, El Katawi Dafani, an assistant cook who works in Pordenone, could not tolerate his daughter’s relationship.

Just before 7 pm yesterday evening, he surprised the couple in a car at Grizzo, near Montereale Valcellina. They were on their way to the Spia restaurant, where De Biasio is a partner and Sanaa worked as a waitress. Mr Dafani approached the Audi knife in hand. His daughter jumped out of the car and tried to run off but one of his thrusts slit her throat. Mr De Biasio managed to get away and raise the alarm. His condition is not serious. Friends of the couple say that the 13-year age difference was not the only reason why Sanaa’s father refused to accept the relationship. The Italian Catholic had to stay away from the Muslim girl. Recently, Mr Dafani threatened the couple on several occasions and the situation had deteriorated. A few weeks ago, Sanaa moved in with Massimo. When Carabinieri officers from the Sacile company arrested Mr Dafani yesterday evening, he was trying to remove stains of his daughter’s blood. The Northern League mayor of Azzano Decimo, Enzo Bortolotti is outraged: “Another Hina case which proves that integration with Islamic culture is not possible”.

— Fabio Cutri

English translation by Giles Watson

More on the incident from AKI:
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Italy: Moroccan Man Accused of ‘Honour Killing’

Rome, 16 Sept. (AKI) — A Moroccan man is facing murder charges after allegedly stabbing his 18-year-old daughter to death for falling in love with an older man in a small northern Italian town. Sanaa Dafani was stabbed in the throat while she was sitting in a car with her 31-year-old boyfriend in Montereale Valcellina, northwest of Trieste, late Tuesday.

Her father, El Ketawi Dafani was later detained by police and interrogated overnight. Some Italian news reports said he had made some admissions about being present at the scene of the alleged crime but had also contradicted himself in relation to the evidence.

There is also widespread speculation that El Ketawi Dafani, believed to be a Muslim, objected to religious differences between his daughter and her boyfriend and their plans to live together.

According to media reports, the victim’s father blocked the car and threatened his daughter. Her boyfriend Massimo De Biasio tried to protect her from the attack and was injured in an alleged assault from the father.

De Biasio raised the alarm and was then taken to a local hospital in Pordenone where he underwent surgery for minor injuries to his abdomen and his hands.

Meanwhile, investigators have begun searching the forest near the scene of the crime in search of the murder weapon.

Police said locating the weapon was a crucial element in their investigation because it would help to confirm several key elements in helping to reconstruct the crime.

Hat tip: C. Cantoni.

For a complete listing of previous enrichment news, see The Cultural Enrichment Archives.