The Assize Court of Reggio Emilia has sentenced the parents of Saman Abbas, Shabbar Abbas e Nazia Shaheen, accused of killing her on the night between April 30 and May 1, 2021 for opposing an arranged marriage.
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The girl's uncle, Danish Hasnain, was sentenced to 14 years in prison, while the two cousins Ikram Ijaz e Nomanulaq Nomanulaq they were acquitted.
The sentence was pronounced after five hours of deliberation. The judges considered that Saman's parents were the instigators of the murder, while his uncle was the material executor. The two cousins, instead, were considered strangers to the facts.
Danish Hasnain's lawyer, Liborio Cataliotti, commented on the sentence by stating that “it was a fair sentence, even if not fully satisfactory”. The lawyer explained that his client benefited from the reduction in sentence due to the abbreviated trial, which led to the exclusion of the aggravating circumstances of premeditation and abject and futile motives.
Saman's brother: "It's a fair sentence"
The first instance ruling was welcomed by Saman's brother, Gulistan Abbas, who joined the trial as a civil party. “It is a fair sentence”, said Gulistan, “that gives justice to my sister.”
The case of Saman Abbas has caused a great stir in Italy and abroad. The young Pakistani girl had disappeared from Novellara, in the province of Reggio Emilia, April 30, 2021. His body was found after more than a year, in mid-November 2022, in a farmhouse near his home, thanks to his uncle's indications.
In the morning, Saman's father, who was arrested in Pakistan a year ago, in November 2022, gave spontaneous statements before the judge for over an hour and a half. “I'm not an animal, I also want to know who killed her” said Shabbar Abbas who spoke in Italian in the courtroom.
“I heard about an arranged marriage, this is also not true – the father explained through tears -. She was happy. She was an intelligent, strong person” but “she also told lies”.
He is also critical of his other son, who with his revelations blamed his family members: “I have heard so many false words that make me feel very bad,” Shabbar Abbas added. “His tongue spoke, his heart did not speak. He told all the lies.”
No compensation to Saman's brother and boyfriend, both of whom were civil parties in the trial on the death of the 18-year-old. This emerges from the ruling of the Court of Assizes of Reggio Emilia which sentenced the parents to life imprisonment, the uncle to 14 years, and acquitted the two cousins. Compensation was instead awarded to associations on violence against women (25 thousand euros each), to Islamic associations (10 thousand euros), to the Unione Comuni bassa reggiana (30.000) and to the Municipality of Novellara (50.000).
Article published on 19 December 2023 - 18:50
