Every person lost as a result of ‘honour’ has a story that must be remembered. Learn about some of them below.
Arash Ghorbani-Zarin
Arash was a 19-year-old student at Oxford Brookes University. During his studies he fell for 20-year-old Manna Begum, they began dating and a year later she fell pregnant. Arash showed friends a scan of the unborn child and took a job in Toys ‘R’ Us in order to support Manna and the baby. However, her father has an arranged marriage planned for her. Their relationship and her pregnancy angered him. He and his two sons ambushed Arash in his car, stabbing him 46 times. The unborn child was aborted after his murder.
Samia Shahid
Samia was always described as a bubbly and funny girl. Her family arranged for her to marry her cousin abroad. The marriage went ahead, but after she returned to England, she fell in love with Syed Kazim. She divorced her husband and married Syed, but her family did not approve of these actions. Despite being involved in a dispute with her family over her choices, when she was told her father was critically ill, she travelled abroad alone to see him, staying in touch with Syed throughout her trip. The day before her departure date, the constant stream of messages to her husband suddenly stopped. He was informed by her family that she had died of ‘natural causes’ however, an autopsy found she had been subjected to rape and strangulation.
Heshu Yones
A 16-year-old girl that attended school in Fulham, where she began a relationship with a fellow pupil without her family’s knowledge. She lived a double life, putting make-up on after leaving the house and having friends lie about her whereabouts so she could spend time with her boyfriend. But eventually Heshu’s father received an anonymous letter that their “community” was aware she had a boyfriend. After months of physical abuse, her father killed her by stabbing her multiple times and cutting her throat, in the bathroom where she had barricaded herself.
Laura Wilson
Laura Wilson, aged 16, was in a relationship with Ashtiaq Ashgar but he made her keep it a secret because he knew his family would be unhappy he was dating a white girl. When Laura found out he was seeing other girls, she had a fling with Ashgar’s friend and fell pregnant. After the birth of the baby Laura and Ashgar rekindled their relationship, but he insisted it remained a secret. After Laura told the families of both Ashgar and the father of her baby about their relationships, Ashgar lured her to a canal where he stabbed her to death.
Banaz Mahmod
After two years in an abusive forced marriage Banaz entered a relationship with Rahmat Suleimani. They were in love but their relationship was against her family’s wishes. Banaz’s uncle devised a plan to kill them both which she overheard and reported to the police, but police didn’t respond quickly enough. Two days after Rahmat suffered an attempted kidnap, Banaz was subjected to two hours of rape and torture before being strangled to death. Ten years after her murder Rahmat tragically took his own life.
