On December 7, 2009, 23-year-old Narges Achikzei was doused with petrol and set on fire in Zeist, in the Netherlands, by the sister of a friend of her fiancé, Haroen Mehraban.

The subsequent investigation was carried out by notorious officers from the Binnensticht police station, who already knew Narges due to a legal case against her former employer involving "email stalking", defamation, slander, and insult.

Police spokesperson Tijn Keuss stated that there were no indications of honour-related violence and that the legal conflict involving Narges Achikzei had nothing to do with her religion. He also stressed that her family and fiancé had no involvement in the murder. Keuss called the accusations against Narges Achikzei’s family very serious. According to the investigation team’s reconstruction and the court verdict, the perpetrator had visited Narges’s parents—who lived on the same street—shortly before the attack.

Local residents, friends, honest detectives, and her former employer point to honour killing as the motive. According to their testimonies, Narges wanted to marry a man of her own choosing, was in love with her Dutch ex-employer, committed fraud through online marketplaces and blackmailed her ex-employer, feared criminal prosecution, and resisted her forced marriage. The timeline of the murder also points to a shameful cover-up.

240 testimonies about the murder of Narges Achikzei have been compiled into an interactive image, allowing everyone to see how officers covered up an Islamic honour killing. Hover over the scales to read the testimonies.