Westernised daughter Alesha Ahmed’s Murder Trial: Father Stabbed Teenager

"Westernised" daughter Alesha Ahmed’s Murder Trial: Father Stabbed Teenager

15/06/2012

Alesha Ahmed told a family friend her sister Shafilea was "stabbed" by their father and the body was "in pieces", a jury heard on Friday.

Shafilea's parents Iftikhar, 52, and Farzana, 49, deny murdering the 17-year-old by suffocating her at the family home in Warrington, Cheshire, in September 2003.

The teenager's decomposed remains were discovered in Cumbria in February 2004 but it was not until 2010 that Alesha provided police with the "final piece of the puzzle" about her death, the prosecution said.

Giving evidence today, Sehreen Shafaat, 22, a close friend of the Ahmed children, said Alesha told her that Mr Ahmed stabbed Shafilea.

Law graduate Miss Shafaat, a trainee barrister, told the jury she had know the family as a small child and after Shafilea's death became close to the Ahmeds' other daughters Alesha and Mevish.

Following a study session, Miss Shafaat said she and Alesha were in her car when Miss Ahmed turned to her and said the family "were not getting on".

She described Alesha as "upset" and "crying" and said: "And then she just came out with 'My dad did it'."

Miss Shafaat said she knew what Alesha was talking about and was shocked, replying: "What?"

"And she said, 'Yeah, my dad killed her'," the witness went on.

"I asked if she was serious and how (it happened).

"I didn't mean to ask how but it just came out, I didn't know what to say."

She said she couldn't remember the order in which things were said but told the jury Alesha said "something like", "My dad stabbed her and the body was all in pieces".

"I can't remember if she said she had actually seen her dad stab Shafilea," Miss Shafaat went on.

Earlier in the trial, Alesha Ahmed described how her parents pushed Shafilea on to the settee in their house and she heard her mother say "Just finish it here" in Urdu as they forced a plastic bag into the teenager's mouth and suffocated her in front of their other children.

The couple murdered their "Westernised" daughter because they believed her conduct was bringing shame on the family, the prosecution say.

Asked by Henry Riding, prosecuting, if Miss Ahmed mentioned any discussion with her parents about Shafilea's death, Miss Shafaat said: "She didn't say anything about a conversation at the time Shafilea was killed, but she did say her parents did not have any regrets and they did say to the children they had 'done it before and can do it again'."

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/06/15/shafilea-ahmed-murder-sister-told-

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Sisters beaten up in Kolkata, for converting to Islam

Arshad Ali

 Jun 16 2012

Kolkata : A south Kolkata girl, who has converted from Hinduism to Islam, and her sister who is also keen to convert, were beaten up allegedly by the associates of the local councillor. The girls have also alleged police inaction.

Vinita Shaw, 25, a resident of 57/2B Bondel Road, adopted Islam in December last year. Her new name, vide an affidavit by a first class magistrate is, Taiba Khatoon (The Indian Express possesses a copy of the affidavit). Her sister, 18-year-old Pooja Shaw, too, expressed her wish to follow suit last week.

The conversion apparently did not go down too well with their neighbours, who, on June 8, beat up the two sisters and their family, including her mother and brother, with bricks and rods.

“We are a very poor family. My father is paralytic and bed-ridden. These people started a fight on the pretext that we dirty the place too much. But when they started beating us, they said unmentionable things as I have converted,” said Vinita. She also alleged that both sisters were abused and molested.

Vinita also claimed harassment at the hands of the police.“I went to the police station with a written complaint against Asim Bera, Tapas Bera, Abhishek Malakar, Krishna Ray, Akash Ray, Manoj Singh, Bikas Singh and Birju Paswan but investigating officer D D Roy Chowdhury tore it up and wrote it himself. He even refused to give me a copy of the complaint and when I insisted, he asked the other officer there to give it to me, referring to me with unmentionable names,” she said.

Pooja is still admitted at a private hospital in Broad Street. “I did not want anyone to know that after my sister, I, too, wanted to convert but these people somehow got an air of it. They are close aides of the local councillor, which is why the police is not taking any action,” she said.

She also said that when her paternal uncle, Kanaiya Lal Shaw, who lives next door, came to their rescue, he was also roughed up. “My mother Munni Devi and one of my brothers who was with us at that time were also assaulted,” she said.

OC, Karaya, S N Majumdar said a case had been lodged in the incident but denied any police inaction. “I met the girls and if they had anything against any officers, they should have told me. Even now if they have any complaint against any officer, it should be given to me in writing and I will definitely look into it,” he said.

Councillor of Ward 65 Sushil Sharma said he did not know the girls. “I only happen to know some of the accused. I don’t even know the name of the complainant. I am a broad-minded person and would not interfere with anyone’s religious sentiments. Whoever is at fault should be brought to book,” he said.

http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/962523/

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Three Pakistani border policemen remanded to police over rapes of five young women

16 June, 2012

MULTAN, Pakistan — A Pakistani court on Monday remanded three border policemen accused of raping five young women and filming the attack, officials said.

The women, aged 15 to 21, said they were taken from a picnic resort to a police station in the town of Dera Ghazi Khan, 400 kilometres (250 miles) from the capital Islamabad, where they were raped.

"The court remanded the three policemen into custody until June 14," said Tariq Basra, of the Border Military Police.

"We are waiting for the medical report to ascertain whether (an) allegation of rape is true or false," Basra told AFP.

The alleged attack, which the women said was filmed by the officers according to investigators, took place last Thursday.

After the women went to the police, the accused took refuge with tribal elders, who handed them back to police late Sunday, said district administrator, Iftikhar Ali Sahu.

The court on Monday also refused to allow the girls to return to their parents, saying that they are instead in the custody of administration officials.

"These girls will be produced before the court again on Tuesday enabling the judge to verify the identity of the parents, guardians," Basra told AFP.

Rape is notoriously difficult to prosecute in Pakistan, where women are often treated as second-class citizens.

In April 2011, the Supreme Court upheld the acquittal of five men sentenced to death in Pakistan's most famous rape case, that of Mukhtar Mai.

Mai was gang raped in 2002 on the orders of a village council as punishment, after her brother, who was aged just 12 at the time, was accused of having illicit relations with a woman from a rival clan.

A local court had sentenced six men to death, but a higher court acquitted five of them in March 2005, and commuted the sentence for the main accused, Abdul Khaliq, to life imprisonment.

According to the independent women's rights group Aurat Foundation, more than 800 women were raped in Pakistan in 2011.

Copyright © 2012 AFP. All rights reserved.

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Malaysia police rescue four women from sex trafficking

Alisha Hassan

 15 June 2012

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia police on Friday reported to have rescued four women believed to be victims of human trafficking and sold into the sex trade industry in Penang.

The police report said they raided an entertainment center in Jalan Anson early in the morning, where the women were discovered.

The four women, described as foreigners, are aged between 17- and 26-years-old.

Bukit Aman D7 operation chief Supt Amir Rasid Derani said the three-hour operation ended at 3am and rescued three Vietnamese women and a Chinese woman who entered the country legally.

He said based on intelligence and public information, police detected a human exploitation syndicate for prostitution that had been active for several weeks at the premises.

He said the syndicate was believed to be masterminded by a secret society gang and in the raid, police also found nine unused bullets apart from 15 packets of syabu, 30 eramin and esctasy pills and drug inhaling instruments.

“Several foreign women working as guest relations officer (GRO) succeeded in fleeing through a secret passage at the back of the premises after being alerted of police presence,” he told reporters here today.

Amir Rasid said police also detained 6 workers including the entertainment center manager aged between 20 and 40 years to assist in the investigation under the Anti-Human Trafficking Act and the Anti-Migrant Smuggling Act 2007.

Earlier in the week, Bikyamasr.com reported a number of women, including Vietnamese nationals, being taken by police from what appeared to be another sex workers ring in the southern part of the country.

http://bikyamasr.com/69887/malaysia-police-rescue-four-women-from-sex-trafficking/

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‘Barons fooling Zambian girls into drug trafficking’

June 16, 2012

By BRIAN MOOYA

THE Women and Law in Southern Africa (WiLSA) says chances are high that most Zambian women being arrested for drug trafficking in foreign countries fall prey to trickster drug barons.

WiLSA regional co-ordinator Matrine Chuulu said in an interview that her organisation does not believe that most Zambian women being caught up in the drug trafficking dragnet do so with their full knowledge and consent.

Commenting on the Malaysian High Court sentencing to death of a Zambian female student, Doreen Nachilongo, for drug trafficking, Ms Chuulu urged women to be wary of unscrupulous business people who are in the habit of using “innocent” women as drug pushers.

The  Malaysian High Court last Friday  slapped a death sentence on Nachilongo for trafficking  in 1,327.4 grammes  of methamphetamine following her arrest in February last year.

Ms Chuulu said it was unfortunate that Nachilongo, who was on a mission to study in that country, has ended up in the dungeon.

Full report at:

http://www.daily-mail.co.zm/?p=5631

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Three, All Pakistanis,  jailed for assaulting, confining man, woman

Marie Nammour / 15 June 2012

Three men, including a driver, a businessman and an electrician aged 27, 31 and 28 respectively, were each sentenced to three years in prison on Thursday by the Court of First Instance on the charge of illegally confining and assaulting a man and a woman and depriving them of their freedom which led to the death of the man.

The driver was also found guilty of raping the woman while the two others were accused of helping and abetting him in the rape crime.

Two women visitors, aged 28 and 27, were each sentenced to six months in jail on the charge of indulging in prostitution.

The defendants, all Pakistanis, will be deported after serving their prison sentences, as per the court order. The verdict is subject to appeal within 15 days at the Court of Appeal.

The men are also accused of breaching the modesty of the deceased and the woman by clicking their nude photos after forcing them to remove their clothes. They are also accused of stealing mobile phones and cash from the victims.

The trio is also charged with impersonating officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/inside.asp?

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Female engineers on the rise in Malaysia

Bikya Masr Staff

 16 June 2012

KUALA LUMPUR: In a sign of women’s empowerment in Malaysia, the country has reported that the number of female engineer’s in the country is on the rise.

Citing a report published by the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM), some 71,000 total engineers exist in Malaysia with around 15,000 of those being women.

The report attempts to highlight the move of women toward “hard” jobs and away from the traditional “soft” professions often associated with female workers.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen said on Thursday based on the report that this is a “definite rise” in the number of female engineers in the country.

“In 1969, there were no women in the engineering field,” said the minister, adding that only a decade later did the amount rise to one percent.

Full report at:

http://bikyamasr.com/69925/female-engineers-on-the-rise-in-malaysia/

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Women important for PTI’s success

16 June, 2012

LAHORE - Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf leader Abdul Aleem Khan has lauded the role the women have played in the success of PTI and said the countrywide political change has started from the homes and the ladies were participating in all political activities.

He was addressing a meeting of the PTI Women Wing where former female counselors announced their decision to join the Tehrik-e-Insaaf. Abdul Aleem Khan stated that being a major part of the society, the women cannot be ignored.

He added that Pakistani women were aware of the political situation and especially respected Imran Khan. He assured that the PTI will provide equal opportunities to the women and special efforts will be made for the uplift of those living in the far flung areas.

The new PTI members expressed their confidence in Abdul Aleem Khan and the leadership of Imran Khan.

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2012/06/16/city/lahore/women-important-for-

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Kohistan ‘killings’ case: ‘Condemned’ women most likely had NICs

June 16, 2012

KOHISTAN:

The possibility of documentary evidence in the Kohistan ‘killing’ case is likely to aid a second fact-finding mission scheduled to visit Peech Bela union council on Saturday, sources told The Express Tribune on Friday.

Sources said that 80% of married women and men of the the Azadkhel tribe have NICs and are the beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and Watan cards.

Since having an NIC is a prerequisite for the BISP and Watan cards, the tribesmen from Azadkhel and two other tribes had allowed 159 women to apply for NICs when NADRA’s mobile team visited Seertaiy village in May-June last year, they added.

According to sources, the mobile team issued the women manual receipts. However, it is yet to be ascertained whether they were issued ID cards or not.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/394492/kohistan-killings-case-condemned-women-most-likely-had-nics/

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Transgenders threaten to protest against sexual harassment

By Riaz Ahmad

 June 16, 2012

PESHAWAR: Members of the transgender community have threatened to begin a countrywide protest if sexual harassment under police protection continues.

At an address in front of the Gulbahar police station on Friday afternoon, Farzana, president of the Khwaja Sara Association Peshawar (KSAP), said that strict action must be taken against those involved in abusing eunuch dancers.

She alleged that police was supporting gangs involved in sexually assaulting them. “A man named Ijaz along with other armed men attacked the house of Shula and Anish, assaulted them and stole their mobile phones away before leaving,” Farzana said.

Shula and Anish live in Marki Godam area of Gulbahar.

The association’s president added that after they filed a complaint at the police station, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Shakir arrested the men, but released them after taking a bribe.

Farzana said the police does not ensure their security and instead allows gangsters to torture them.  She warned that if members of her community continue to be tortured, a countrywide protest will be started.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/394621/transgenders-threaten-to-protest-against-sexual-harassment/

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