Italian Supreme Court upholds murder convictions of family members in Saman Abbas case

Italy's highest court has delivered its final verdict in the tragic case of Saman Abbas, an 18-year-old of Pakistani origin who was murdered in 2021 for refusing an arranged marriage. The Supreme Court of Cassation upheld the murder convictions and life sentences for her parents, Shabbar Abbas and Nazia Shaheen, as well as her cousins Ijaz Ikram and Nomanul Haq. Her uncle, Danish Hasnain, received a 22-year prison sentence.

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No verdict can bring her life back, but it is right that those responsible for this barbaric crime have been definitively convicted.

Abbas had defied her family's plan to marry her to a cousin in Pakistan in 2020. While still a minor, she sought help from social services and was placed in a shelter. She also reported her parents to the police but later returned to them. Her disappearance in May 2021 prompted an investigation, which uncovered that her parents had fled to Pakistan. Security footage showing five individuals carrying tools away from the house fueled fears of foul play.

Both parents were later extradited to Italy. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed the verdict, describing it as the end of a "painful judicial saga." She stated that while no verdict can restore Abbas's life, it is right that those responsible for the "barbaric crime" have been definitively convicted.

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in Italy, there is no room for those who presume to deny, in the name of supposed cultural or religious justifications, a woman’s freedom, dignity, and life. These are non-negotiable principles from which we will never retreat.

Meloni strongly asserted that Italy upholds women's freedom, dignity, and right to life, rejecting any cultural or religious justifications that seek to deny these fundamental principles. "These are non-negotiable principles from which we will never retreat," she declared, offering her thoughts to Saman and wishing her peace. The report also mentioned a separate case where a Pakistani couple in Italy was sentenced for forcing their daughter into an abortion and an arranged marriage.

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My thoughts go to Saman. May she finally rest in peace.