The

honour killing An honor killing (American English), ''honour killing'' (Commonwealth English), or ''shame killing'' is a type of murder in which a person, usually a woman or girl, is killed by or at the behest of male members of their family or their male ...

of Sadia Sheikh occurred on 22 October 2007, when a 20-year-old Belgian woman of

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

heritage was fatally shot by her brother, an act of

sororicide Sororicide (; ) is the act of murdering one's own sister. There are a number of examples of sororicide and fratricide in adolescents, even pre-adolescents, where sibling rivalry and resulting physical aggression can get out of hand and lead ...

. The murder occurred in

Lodelinsart Lodelinsart () is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Charleroi, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowlan ...

Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...

. Sheikh had left her family home after her parents pressured her to marry a cousin whom she had never met, later moving in with a Belgian man, but had visited to try to make peace. Her brother, Mudusar Sheikh, confessed to the murder in a 2011 trial, claiming that he had acted alone, but a jury pronounced all four members of the family guilty of the murder and sentenced each to prison. The case has been called Belgium's first

trial.

Background

Born in Pakistan in 1949, Sheikh's father, Tarik Mahmood Sheikh, was himself wed by

arranged marriage Arranged marriage is a type of Marriage, marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures, a professional matchmaki ...

to her mother, Parveen Zahida. Tarik arrived in Belgium in 1973. The children were born in Brussels, and the family lived in Charleroi. Sheikh was a student at the

Athénée Royal Vauban Athénée Royal Vauban is a Francophone secondary school in Charleroi, Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordere ...

; and then Haute Ecole provinciale de Charleroi (HEPCUT), which merged into the . When Sheikh's parents, who owned businesses in both Belgium and Pakistan, attempted to force her to accept an arranged marriage to a cousin she had never met in Pakistan, she left home to study law. She felt threatened to the point that she drew up a

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

at a centre for victims of

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

. Soon after, she moved in with Jean, a Belgian man her age. While unwilling to comply with her family's demands, she had not surrendered the hope of reconciliation. On 22 October, then in her final year of law school, she visited her family in hopes of mending the rift, but instead she was shot three times. In the shooting, her sister Sariya Sheikh was also wounded by a bullet in the arm.

Trial and punishment

On 21 November 2011, Sheikh's family—including her parents, brother Mudusar and sister Sariya—stood trial for her death. Sheikh's brother was accused of the shooting, while the rest of the family was accused of

aiding and abetting Aiding and abetting is a legal doctrine related to the guilt of someone who aids or abets (encourages, incites) another person in the commission of a crime (or in another's suicide). It exists in a number of different countries and generally al ...

the murder and "attempting to arrange a marriage." Prosecutors sought 20 – 30 years for Sariya Sheikh, who they claimed held Sheikh while she was shot, and

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...

for the rest of her family. The trial was held in

Mons Mons commonly refers to: * Mons, Belgium, a city in Belgium * Mons pubis (mons Venus or mons veneris), in mammalian anatomy, the adipose tissue lying above the pubic bone * Mons (planetary nomenclature), a sizable extraterrestrial mountain * Batt ...

. During the trial, Mudusar Sheikh confessed to the crime, also claiming that he attempted to murder his sister Sariya. Other members of the family also claimed that Mudusar Sheikh was solely responsible for the murder. According to them, he acted in rage, but Mudusar Sheikh himself testified that the act was premeditated. He clarified that "I didn't want to take her (Sadia's) life, but to make her feel as bad as I felt." During the trial, evidence had been presented to suggest that Mudusar Sheikh, himself to marry a cousin in Pakistan, had been very close to his sister Sadia, his closest sibling in age. On 9 December 2011, the jury found all four family members guilty of the murder, with the

aggravating factor Aggravation, in law, is "any circumstance attending the commission of a crime or tort which increases its guilt or enormity or adds to its injurious consequences, but which is above and beyond the essential constituents of the crime or tort itself" ...

that it was an honour killing, and the brother and father guilty of attempting to force an arranged marriage. Sentencing was handed down on 12 December. The court found that the parents had orchestrated the event, ordering their son to do the shooting. For that reason, although Mudusar Sheikh himself was sentenced to 15 years, Sheikh's mother and father were sentenced to 20 and 25 respectively. The 22-year-old Sariya Sheikh, five months pregnant at the time of sentencing, was given five years, a light sentence due to her youth at the time of the crime. In December 2011 Sheikh's parents were reported to be

appeal In law, an appeal is the process in which Legal case, cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of cla ...

ing their sentences. Sariya Sheikh also entered an appeal, to preserve the right, but it was reported she may not follow through if her attorneys do not find sufficient grounds. The case has been called Belgium's first

trial. It has been positioned as a

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

issue by civil rights groups. During the trial, the courthouse had to be briefly cleared when it received a bomb threat from a person alleging to be part of a Pakistani organization, but the threat proved false. Parveen Zahida was released after six years of prison.

Commentary

Following the court's verdict, the English-language Pakistani newspaper ''

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...

'' commented that Pakistan "would do well to take a leaf out of Belgium's book" given the regularity of reported honour killings in Pakistan and the common lack of punishment. The editorial laments that the "honour-killing debate is still at that medieval stage" in their country.

Background

Trial and punishment

Commentary

Aftermath

In popular culture

See also

References

Further reading