In a case of ‘honour killing´, a 23-year old Afghan-origin youth has been convicted for life for killing his sister and her fiancee for the purpose of restoring his family’s “respect in the community”.
In a case of ‘honour killing´, a 23-year old Afghan-origin youth has been convicted for life for killing his sister and her fiancee for the purpose of restoring his family’s “respect in the community”.
A jury found Hasibullah Sadiqi guilty of two counts of first degree murder on Saturday. The decision carries a sentence of life imprisonment without any parole for 25 years. The incident took place in Canadian capital Ottawa.
Sadiqi was on trial facing allegations he shot his sister, Khatera, and her fiance, Feroz Mangal, in a planned fashion driven by outrage over the couple’s engagement.
Earlier this week Mark Moors, an assistant Crown attorney on the case, characterised the killings as “two murders committed for the sole purpose of restoring the family’s reputation and respect in the Afghan community.”
Khatera refused to have her father involved in the engagement and moved in with Mangal’s family before marriage.
Khatera was found dead of a gunshot to the head on September 19, 2006. Mangal, died about two weeks later in hospital from gunshot wounds, Canwest News Service reported.
Sadiqi told the court that he had hoped Mangal, as “an Afghani guy too and as a man,” would take his side and back him up, but instead, he stuck up for Khatera.
“Right there, I just exploded,” Sadiqi said. “I felt like a thunderbolt hit my head, like I got shot, like someone broke a beer bottle on my head. Right there, I just lost total control. After that, I don’t know, I don’t remember."