Pakistani couple jailed in Germany for 'honour killing'

Muslim parents killed their daughter, Lareeb Khan for being in a pre-marital sexual relationship

19-year-old Lareeb Khan. PHOTO: DAILY MAIL

BERLIN:
A German court Tuesday sentenced a Pakistan-born couple to life in jail for the "honour killing" of their 19-year-old daughter, who had had sex before marriage.

The 52-year-old father was found guilty of strangling the teenager to death, and the 41-year-old mother was also jailed, as an accessory to murder, by the regional court in the western city of Darmstadt.

The deeply conservative Muslim parents had killed their daughter, Lareeb Khan, in January because she had been in a pre-marital sexual relationship, the court was told.

Pakistani man strangles daughter to death in Germany

According to Mail Online, Asadullah Khan said he believed his daughter had brought ‘dishonour’ to the family by being in a relationship with a boy he did not approve of.

Defendant Asadullah K is pictured during a trial on December 1, 2015 at a courthouse in Darmstadt. PHOTO: AFP



He said he wanted Lareeb to have an arranged marriage as he and his wife had done.

Khan's wife, Shazia, said her daughter had stayed away from the family home for several nights in a row and had stopped wearing her headscarf.

Defendant Shazia K with her head covered attends a trial on December 1, 2015 at a courthouse in Darmstadt. PHOTO: AFP


Claiming she was unable to stop her husband from killing Lareeb, Shazia said, “I couldn’t stop him.”

“I have rheumatism and didn’t have the strength to fight him off. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t,” the statement added.

"One day we received a letter from the police saying she had been caught trying to steal condoms. At this point it became clear that there was sexual contact. When I showed the letter to my husband he snapped.”

The defence had sought a lesser sentence of manslaughter. The couple will be able to apply for parole after 15 years.
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