Another "honor" case in Denmark

Danish police have charged three persons of foreign background with threats and kidnapping of a 24-year old female family member, Berlingske Tidende reports (link in Danish). The police believe the girl was kidnapped by her father and is now being held against her will in Syria.

The charged are the girl's mother, her brother-in-law and her ex-husband - who also happens to be her cousin. The family wanted to force the girl to resume married life with her ex-husband/cousin.

The mother is among other things charged, together with her husband, of assaulting the girl on a daily basis and threatening her with a gun. The girl was kept locked up in the familie's apartment in Slagelse from the the spring of 2005 to june 2006.

The girl was then kidnapped to Lebanon and on august 2 forced to Syria.

After several hours of preliminary hearing the prosecuter had to release the family, but the charges are upheld.


This happened in the same town that witnessed the the brutal murder in broad daylight of the 18-year old Ghazala Khan in another so-called "honor" crime.

18-year old Ghazala Khan is gunned down
along with her husband by her own brother
in Slagelse, Denmark last year

If you look at the dates, I don't think it's a coincidence that the girl in question was abductet to Lebanon in June 2006, the very month the Ghazala-trial was taking place, ending with very severe sentenses to nine persons.

After the guilty-as-charged verdict by the jury in the Ghazala-case, Manu Sareen, an integration consultant in Copenhagen said:

'This verdict will send shockwaves through all of Europe, and I'm sure that it will have a preventive effect,' said Sareen. 'Crimes such as 'honour killings' don't stop from one day to the next, but this is a clear signal.'

Not clear enough, one might add.

I'll keep an eye on this story and post any developments.