Italy upholds sentencing for ‘barbaric’ murderers of honor killed teenager Saman Abbas

Italy's highest court has finalized the sentences for the relatives involved in the "barbaric" honor killing of 18-year-old Saman Abbas. The Court of Cassation on Wednesday rejected appeals from members of the Abbas family, upholding the life sentences handed down for murder and suppression of a corpse.

The Bologna Court of Appeal had previously issued four life sentences against Abbas’s parents, Nazia Shaheen and Shabbar Abbas, and her cousins Noman Ul Haq and Ijaz Ikram. The victim’s uncle, Danish Hasnian, received a 22-year sentence. Hasnian had initially accepted a plea bargain for 14 years, but this was later increased.

Attorney General Marco Dall'Olio emphasized the premeditated nature of the crime, stating, "That Saman could not decide for herself is clear, manifest, the reconstruction of the facts is unequivocal." He added that Saman, despite being an adult, was denied the right to choose her own life. The court described the case as a "chilling story, a concerted and premeditated act."

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That Saman could not decide for herself is clear, manifest, the reconstruction of the facts is unequivocal. Saman, even though she was an adult, could not decide for herself about her life, she could not have a life of her own. A chilling story, a concerted and premeditated act.

Saman Abbas disappeared from her home in Novellara di Reggio Emilia on the night of April 30-May 1, 2021. Her body was discovered 18 months later, following the questioning of her uncle in Paris. Her parents fled to Pakistan shortly after the murder and were extradited in 2023 after being sentenced in absentia. Her cousins were arrested in Spain.

Abbas had moved to northern Italy from Pakistan as a teenager and embraced Western culture, which reportedly angered her family. She refused an arranged marriage to an older cousin in Pakistan and had expressed fears for her life to her boyfriend. She had briefly been under the care of social services before returning to her family home, reportedly to collect personal documents.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni commented on the verdict, stating, "With the final verdict for the murder of Saman Abbas, a painful judicial saga comes to a close." The ruling brings a definitive end to a case that highlighted the tragic consequences of forced marriage and honor killings.

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With the final verdict for the murder of Saman Abbas, a painful judicial saga comes to a close.