Women’s rights activists were jubilant today when Omar Hussein, a suspect in the so-called ‘honour’ killing of Banaz Mahmod, was extradited from the Kurdistan region of Iraq and arrived at Heathrow yesterday. He is currently in custody at Lewisham Police Station and will stand before Greenwich Magistrates Court today. Hussein, who is accused of murdering the 20 year old on the orders of her father and uncle, is only the second person to be extradited from Iraq, the first being Mohammed Saleh Ali, who faces the same charges. Banaz’s body was found in a suitcase beneath a house in Birmingham, and later her father and uncle and an associate were given life sentences for organizing the murder because they believed that Banaz’s behaviour, in ending her violent arranged marriage and starting a relationship of her own choice, had brought shame to the family.
Diana Nammi, Director of the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO) which has run the ‘Justice for Banaz’ campaign calling for the extradition of Hussein and Ali said ‘This is a great victory for our campaign. We thank all the people and organisations who have supported us. We really appreciate the effort the police have put into tracking down these men.’
Since its foundation in 2002, IKWRO has observed increasing levels of honour-based violence and forced marriage in the UK’s Middle Eastern communities and has provided advocacy services for thousands of clients facing violence. ‘Honour killings are committed within the family,’ explains Nammi. ‘They are a collective and organized crime. This extradition sends an important message to the community that there are no “safe havens” for murderers, and that all those who take part in an offence will be pursued and prosecuted.’