Pakistani couple jailed in Germany for 'honour killing'

E-Paper | March 18, 2026

BERLIN: A German court Tuesday sentenced a Pakistan-born couple to life in jail for the "honour killing" of their 19-year-old daughter, who had had sex before marriage.

The 52-year-old father was found guilty of strangling the teenager to death, and the 41-year-old mother was also jailed, as an accessory to murder, by the regional court in the western city of Darmstadt.

The Muslim parents had killed their daughter in January because she had been in a pre-marital relationship, the court was told.

The defence had sought a lesser sentence of manslaughter. The couple will be able to apply for parole after 15 years.

‘Honour killing’ is defined as: “killing of a female, and sometimes her love-interests and other associates, for supposed sexual or marital offenses, typically by her own relatives, with the justification being that the ‘offence’ has brought dishonour to the family.”

Such crimes are perpetrated for a wide range of offences, marital infidelity, pre-marital sex, flirting, refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, being the victim of sexual assault, seeking a divorce even from an abusive husband or allegedly committing adultery, can all be perceived as impugning the family honour.

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World

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ABRAHAM Haque

Dec 01, 2015 11:01pm

Why do they live in places they can not handle

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Expat

Dec 01, 2015 11:06pm

As an expat living abroad I see this frequently that Muslim parents, even brothers acting out of rage for their daughter and sister in which always a girl is brutally murdered. Muslims come to the West and they are least like to get assimilated in the culture of the West because their religion s incompatible with a free, tolerant society that the West affords in democracies. Only a small percentage of Muslim families actually adapt and get accultured. The rest are basically misfits in the Western democratic free societies. Muslims should think twice before migrating to West. Or else this family killings in the name of honor will keep continuing and giving a bad name to no one else but them and the country of their origin and religion. Humble opinion.

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Bharat

Dec 01, 2015 11:12pm

These people go to Western Countries for Financial gains, but do not want to integrate with the societies they voluntarily go to. The mindset travels with them and they expect their children to accepct their fudal values. Such persons should stay home and be happy with what they have there.

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Dec 01, 2015 11:12pm

@Expat well said. This is the reason why there is huge disconnect between muslims and western countries hosting them. We don't see other religious migrants having such issues even though they follow their respective religion thoroughly

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iqbal

Dec 01, 2015 11:15pm

Nothing new. West is getting used to Pakistani people doing these kind of acts. NO wonder we have become a joke in Western media.

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Farooq

Dec 01, 2015 11:17pm

It is actually sad and unfortunate. While moving abroad we risk losing identity of our generations for very little monetary gain.

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Anwar Sadiqque

Dec 01, 2015 11:17pm

There is a bigger problem; lack of assimilation. If you don't assimilate then you will have more misunderstandings and less success and more resentment. In regards to honor killings, if the son had pre-marital sex would he have been killed?

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zafar

Dec 01, 2015 11:18pm

They were western people living in the west.

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amd

Dec 01, 2015 11:25pm

If you are going to the West don't expect your children to follow your system of thinking,they will have a different thinking.Some parents go abroad for say a 10 year stint and return back ,but now their children simply don't want to return back with their parents to their parent's backward country.

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Jalbani Baloch

Dec 01, 2015 11:27pm

If this Pakistani man was so caring for something known as 'honor' in a free country like Germany, where everything is allowable in the name of personal freedom, he should not have settled there. It is not Pakistan that he can be set free on the pretext of honor killing, now let him languish in jail for the rest of his life.

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jang

Dec 01, 2015 11:31pm

Most likely that guy was an illegal immigrant or a construction worker immigrated during 70s. By the way this problem is not restricted to muslims; people from the same class from hindu, sikhs and even jewish religions have done such acts. Remember a father thrashed two sons to death in a church for not being desirable christen in US.

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Yunus

Dec 01, 2015 11:32pm

@Expat This has nothing to do with religion. It's a mindset that is fully operative in Muslim countries too.

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Expat

Dec 01, 2015 11:39pm

@Yunus :: Sorry, Mr. Yunus. I have to disagree with you, very respectfully. A large part of the problem here is the religion. You are free to disagree. You will be well served to ask any non-Muslim. Somethings can be better seen from the outside, like the saying: can't see the forest for the trees.

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M.Saeed

Dec 01, 2015 11:39pm

Killing to protect honor? What remains for protection when those protecting the family's honor if after their so called protecting the honor act, are left to rot in jail and their family becomes out-caste in the society?

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Dec 01, 2015 11:40pm

I don't understand why everybody worried about integrating with western countries. Honour killings are wrong even in Pakistan

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Expat

Dec 01, 2015 11:41pm

@jang :: The only difference is that its does happen in isolated and sporadic cases all over but among Muslims it happens with steady regularity and all too often.

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Dabangg

Dec 01, 2015 11:49pm

Why do orthodox Muslims immigrate to the West? Muslims in Europe blame locals for not helping them assimilate but actually Muslims are the ones not helping themselves.

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Dabangg

Dec 01, 2015 11:50pm

You will not find these kinds of behavior by non Muslims. They leave all their incompatible cultures in their homeland.

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Dabangg

Dec 01, 2015 11:51pm

@jang Beating someone and killing someone is very different. Also honor killings are generally against females.

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college st.

Dec 02, 2015 12:07am

why not live in Pakistan?

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Alla Bux

Dec 02, 2015 12:09am

@zafar You are right. They could not be Muslims.

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Expat

Dec 02, 2015 12:11am

@Dabangg Sadlly, well-off Muslims migrate to the West, Americas, and Europe attracted by the bright lights, money, professional growth, childrens' prosperity, etc., etc. But soon after reaching the West, they try to change the laws, customs, culture to what it was in their Muslim countries they actually gladly and voluntarily left to immigrate to the West. I never understood that nor will I ever understand that logic because it makes no sense. If these same Muslim customs, culture, and laws were good and desirable; the West will be the first to adopt them. But they are not popular among non-Muslims and hence the clash in culture happens. This is soon, in our life-time, is going to come to a violent confrontation, I believe.

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ahsan

Dec 02, 2015 12:39am

Part of the package deal... I pity all these expatriates

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NPS

Dec 02, 2015 12:43am

@college st. The accused told the court, they had to kill their daughter, otherwise they would have expelled from their assembly or so called Ulema

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Dec 02, 2015 12:45am

We all know such things i.e. honor killing, blasphemy law etc are wrong but what are we doing about it. The problem lies within the society and we need to strive to change the society. All need to their part. Educate the masses. Political process must continue and we should fight for the supermacy of law and order and slowly and surely things will churn and change. It's time to vote so don't just sit there get out and vote and make a difference...

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Pakistani

Dec 02, 2015 12:45am

There are two separate ideas that must be understood. What needs to be understood first and foremost is that honor killing is not permitted from an Islamic point of view, regardless of whether it happens in Pakistan or Germany. It is sad and wrong that they can get away with it in Pakistan. It is the job of the state / rulers alone to implement punishments. Two, if a society sanctions adultery - which Germany's does - then as a Muslim your choices are indeed limited - and you must be aware of this aspect before settling aboard. If this aspect of the religion is important enough for one, then they should hope that they are in a country where this is considered a crime and is punishable by the state. I hope Pakistan is and continues to remain one of those countries where adultery is considered a crime, even though liberal extremists will continue to try to portray this as a 'taboo', 'extremist opinion', 'backwardness', etc, etc.

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Ravi Vancouver

Dec 02, 2015 12:49am

@Farooq Muslims migrating to west should think 100 times because their mind set, cultural and social values are very different from the western values. Social incompatibility costs a lot to them. Young migrated children and new born children get influenced by local kids culture (considered corrupt and bad by migrating Muslims) also by local western education system and whole family end up paying huge price in the form of honor killings and lot of friction within family.

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Uzi

Dec 02, 2015 01:01am

@Expat really? this has nothing to do with the religion, only culture - Indian culture is very similar to ours. I live in B.C. Canada, where a Hindu or Sikh outnumbers a Caucasian person. You should look up the stories regarding honor killings these two religious people perform as well.

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anon

Dec 02, 2015 01:37am

@Expat : Well Said!!

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Guest

Dec 02, 2015 01:39am

@Pakistani Please use the right word and check the meaning of "adultery". thank you.

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Azhar Malik

Dec 02, 2015 02:13am

Muslims are settled in western countries in millions and they have been living there for a very very long long time. The incidents of honor killing are very rare and hardly we read such news 2 to three times a year. It shows that either the instances where Muslim family go for honour killing are negligible or Muslim families now do not go for such extreme acts of honour killing and have socially adjusted to the westeren culture. Honour killing incidents are quite common in Pakistan particularly in the poor and uneducated people although the situations or acts which lead to honour killing are almost occure in the same number in rich and educated people.

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Dabangg

Dec 02, 2015 02:41am

@Pakistani If adultery is a crime then lying should be too.

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A shah

Dec 02, 2015 02:52am

Go back to Pakistan then!

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Cyrus

Dec 02, 2015 03:30am

@Bharat ....People who emigrate to America who come for freedom and not money are the most valuable to America.

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Cyrus

Dec 02, 2015 03:37am

@iqbal .... I don't find this funny.

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Cyrus

Dec 02, 2015 03:39am

@Farooq .... .... Then Pakistanis should not move simply for money. Is money worth being disrespected?

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Cyrus

Dec 02, 2015 03:40am

@Anwar Sadiqque .... Doesn't that make Pakistani women second class citizens?

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Cyrus

Dec 02, 2015 03:50am

@amd .... In America all those children who go through eight years of elementary and four years of high school are not Pakistan or Syrian or Lebanese or Greek or Polish anymore. They believe they are Americans in more than name only. Religion has nothing to do with this belief.

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bea

Dec 02, 2015 03:53am

@college st. yes why not where killing someone is easy and getting away with it easier?

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Cyrus

Dec 02, 2015 03:54am

@Jalbani Baloch ... He dishonored his family far more than his daughter dishonored the family. That is the difference between the West and Islamic countries. Murder is dishonorable whatever the reason.

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Ali

Dec 02, 2015 03:54am

@Expat. Yunus is right. This has nothing to do with the noble religion of Islam. Islam came to get rid of cultural practices like this "honour killing." Even a cursory reading of the Religion's history would make it clear to the reader.

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Cyrus

Dec 02, 2015 03:55am

@Yunus ..... It is against God and therefore against Islam.

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Cyrus

Dec 02, 2015 04:02am

@ahsan ... Pity their low self esteem. Why not have ultrasounds done and only produce male children?

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ABRAHAM Haque

Dec 02, 2015 04:21am

@Ravi Vancouver that is a lot of nonsense

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imran

Dec 02, 2015 05:37am

@ABRAHAM Haque This is not about East and West, even in west many shun sex before marriage, This is not about religion either, This is about Moral values, and these moral values are being destroyed in Pakistan and many so called muslim countries just as fast as western countries.

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Madhan

Dec 02, 2015 06:09am

If a parents can do such cold blooded murders in a far away country, I just wonder what must be going on in feudal Pakistan? How many daughters are being murdered in the name of honour - nobody knows.

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ZAK

Dec 02, 2015 06:10am

We should try to change the mind set of the West, honor is the best thing in life,but no killing. Hey I married a Mexicana in US and doing a corner store and she honors me and I honor her.

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bryan

Dec 02, 2015 06:13am

I agree with the commentator EXPAT. It's a strange confusion. Muslims cannot accept the liberalism of West and they cannot fully subscribe to Sharia. I can empathise with the confusion of daily living where as one walks along a street in a western nation he feels good at having made it bigger than his folks back home but can't tolerate the sight of a couple kissing on a park bench. When he is back home he is appalled by the state of affairs there. I think it would require about 3 generations to fully assimilate in local culture. Sex is viewed differently across cultures. In the west it is just another human need. To us Easterners it is a divine and exclusive affair irrespective of religion . I'm Christian but very Indian in my outlook. Many Indian Muslims live in Saudia. They don't have pleasant memories and given a chance don't want to go back. These events of honor killings need special focus by community members locally. We cannot influence or convince them from here.

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Aamir

Dec 02, 2015 06:58am

What has it got to do with living in Germany or Islam. Dont Premarital affairs happen in Pakistan on a daily basis....and honor killings dont protect any honor but always bring further disgrace to the family. . Its a mindset which needs to change with the times.

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Aamir

Dec 02, 2015 06:59am

@ABRAHAM Haque dont premarital affairs happen in Pakistan?

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Mohyal

Dec 02, 2015 12:14pm

@Pakistani - have you read the article? There is no adultery involved..

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Green

Dec 02, 2015 12:45pm

@Azhar Malik Absolutely right! And in our country (Pakistan) it happen in many cases that after killing the girl they portray it as a suicide.

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Roxana R

Dec 02, 2015 10:08pm

@Ravi Vancouver And in other countries, "honor killing" is non-existent and is defined simply as "murder" and punished as such. There is no honor in "honor killing" and in Western countries, individuals have the right to make their own life choices. No one has the right to kill another like this.

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Sudhir Neyalasinger

Dec 03, 2015 01:43pm

@Pakistani Pre-marital sex is not adultery. Adultery is having sex with someone else when you are married.

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