Honour killing story

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Two young women
born: 2004, 2002
Shot dead: 14 May 2020
Last residence: Shamplan, Waziristan Pakistan
Origin: Pakistan
Children: none
Perpetrator: their cousin Muhammad Aslam
On 14 May 2020, two women (16 and 18 years old) will be shot dead in the village of Shamplan in the conservative tribal area of Waziristan in the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Through social media, the local police were alerted and made aware of the probable background of the murders: honour killing. It is suspected that the two young women were discredited because of a 52-second 'vulgar video' that was supposed to have been recorded a year ago but published on social media a few weeks ago.

The video shows Umer Ayaz (28 years old) in a remote area outside together with three veiled women, two of whom he then kisses. He has been arrested and charged with making and distributing the "vulgar" videoclip.

Partly because the video went viral, the sisters were accused by their angry cousin Mohammad Aslam of damaging the family honour with their behaviour.

Witnesses point in the direction of Mohammad Aslam as the perpetrator, he fled after the murder.On 21 May 2020 he is arrested by the police after a five-day manhunt. The police are still looking for the third woman who can be seen in the video.She is not being kissed by Umer Ayaz and is said to be the wife of the suspected perpetrator. Police think she has gone into hiding and are worried about her safety.

The officers involved in the investigation received cash as a reward and letters of recommendation from Inspector General Sanaullah Abbasi.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

Questions about honour killings

  • refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.

  • wants to end the relationship.

  • was the victim of rape or sexual assault.

  • was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.

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