Karim lived with his wife in the hallway. They were married under Islamic law and she was now expecting. But her family did not approve of the relationship and the marriage. So her brother devised a plan.

The brother discussed with a friend that Karim needed to be taught a lesson. He needed to get a beating so that the message would come across. The next day, they went to the hallway multiple times, first the friend alone and then two more times together. The third time, Karim was actually home. After loud shouting, neighbors found him in the hallway with a stab wound. Later that evening, Karim died in the hospital.

Lying and Deceiving

The brother and his friend, two men from The Hague aged 44 and 30, appeared before the judge today. The problem is, as the prosecutor outlined, that they have constantly adjusted their statements. And no one witnessed what happened in the hallway. Both are trying to get away with it, concluded the prosecutor, by lying, deceiving, and manipulating. What should we now believe and what not?

Both defendants claim that they stayed downstairs and that the other went upstairs and stabbed Karim. But ultimately, according to the Public Prosecution Service, it does not matter much legally who did what. There was a premeditated plan and neither of them has distanced themselves from it. There is complicity; they committed the murder together.

Did Nothing Wrong

The tragic thing is that Karim had done nothing wrong to either of the defendants. He did nothing wrong, said the prosecutor. He is dead simply because he found love. And because this was not allowed according to her family. His wife and family will have to live with the loss. His daughter will never know her father and has never been able to look him in the eyes. 

The Public Prosecution Service demanded an 18-year prison sentence for both defendants for complicity in murder. The court will rule in two weeks.