Azadullah (52) and Shazia Khan (42) have been sentenced to life imprisonment in Germany for allegedly murdering their daughter, Lareeb Khan (19), in an “honour killing” crime.
It is said that the parents disapproved of their daughter having sex with a man they did not approve of and they believed she was bringing “shame” on the family.
It is alleged that Lareeb had attempted to shoplift condoms, which triggered her parents to murder her.
Her father allegedly quietly entered into Lareeb's room and strangled her to death, while her mother looked on.
The parents, who are originally from Pakistan, were trying to arrange the wedding of Lareeb, who was a dental technician, and ended up killing her after she brought “dishonour” on them, a German court in Darmstadt heard.
Although Shazia Khan asserted that she was helpless and had no say when it came to the murder of her daughter, the younger daughter Neda (14), condemned her mother stating that she ruled the house.
Judge Volker Wagner stated, “She [Shazia Khan] clearly is guilty of murder. You feared being shunned by the community if it got out that your daughter had slept with her boyfriend. It was worth killing your daughter for. A woman cannot be so physically weak that she doesn't intervene in the murder of her own daughter and instead watches it for five minutes. You lived in two cultural worlds. It is not the case that you may not be allowed to live in your own culture. But you must deal with our values... What is justice? Lareeb is dead, her sister Neda lives with foster parents, the parents are facing life imprisonment...”
Azadullah Khan's last words in court were spoken through an interpreter, where he said, “I would undo it all if I could... I accept any punishment.”
