Pakistani couple jailed for honour killing of daughter in Italy

An Italian court has sentenced a Pakistani couple, Shabbar Abbas and Nazia Shaheen, to life in prison for the murder of their 18-year-old daughter, Saman Abbas. Her lifeless body was discovered beneath a farmhouse in northern Italy in November 2022, 18 months after she had gone missing.

As per reports, Saman, who had emigrated with her family from Pakistan, resided in Novellara. Her parents, disapproving of her relationship with a man of her choice, sought to force her into an arranged marriage in Pakistan in 2020, an attempt she vehemently resisted.

The court, situated in the northern city of Reggio Emilia, convicted and sentenced Saman’s father, Shabbar Abbas, who was arrested in Pakistan and extradited for trial. Meanwhile, Nazia Shaheen, convicted in absentia, is believed to be in hiding in Pakistan.

The shocking case prompted Italy’s union of Islamic communities to issue a fatwa against forced marriages following Saman’s disappearance. Her tragic fate unfolded as she returned to the family home in Novellara in April 2021, under the guise of familial reconciliation.

Uncle Danish Hasnain, implicated in Saman’s murder, received a 14-year jail term after being detained in France under a European arrest warrant in September 2021.

During the trial, Shabbar Abbas, though maintaining his innocence, expressed a desire to uncover the truth behind his daughter’s death, insisting the trial was incomplete. Italian media reported his plea.