The mother of a teenager killed “for honor” in Italy finally detained – Pakistan

THE mother of Saman Abbas, a teenager killed by his family in Italy in 2021, was arrested in Azad Kashmir after three years on the run, Italian news agency Ansa reported Friday.

The 18-year-old Italian-Pakistani girl disappeared from the Italian city of Reggio Emilia on April 30, 2021 and her body was found in November 2022.

Nazia Shaheen, 51, fled Italy after the murder and an international arrest warrant was issued for her, Ansa added.

The report, while citing sources, added that the arrest was a result of cooperation between Interpol and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

She was transferred to Islamabad where she appeared in court on Friday for extradition proceedings, Ansa added.

In August 2023, her husband, Shabbar Abbas, who also arrived in Pakistan after the murder, was extradited to Italy and is now in prison.

The couple were sentenced to life in absentia by a Reggio Emilia court in December 2023 after being found guilty of homicide.

In their order, Italian judges said the victim's mother “could be the person who actually committed the murder,” according to Ansa.

The judges also ruled out that the motive for the murder was Ms Saman's refusal to marry an older man in Pakistan, as was widely believed. The murder happened “on impulse” and in a fit of anger over the victim's desire to leave the house and live with her boyfriend, the Italian agency added.

The victim's uncle, extradited from France to stand trial, was also sentenced to 14 years in prison, while his two cousins ​​were acquitted.

Published in Dawn, June 1, 2024