Murder verdicts revive memories of Calgary honour killing
Posted Jan 30, 2012 8:57 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Three members of an Afghan-born Montreal family have begun serving their life prison terms.
On Sunday, a jury found them all guilty on four counts of first-degree murder.
After hearing three months of evidence, the panel took just 15 hours to convict Mohammad Shafia, his wife Tooba Yahya and their son Hamed.
The judge in the case called the crime, “cold-blooded and shameful,” saying it is “difficult to conceive of anything more heinous, more despicable, or more honourless.”
A Calgary Immigration lawyer says trying to change cultural or religious beliefs is an uphill battle.
Raj Sherma’s uncle was killed during a so called “honour killing” back in 1991.
Mukesh Sharma was caught in the cross-fire while trying to help a pregnant woman avoid getting hit during a hail of bullets in the parking lot of a Marlborough strip mall.
Armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, Daljit Singh Dulay was on the hunt for his sister and her boyfriend.
Sharma tells The Calgary Sun his uncle’s death was pointless; adding the threat of jail will never deter a murderer who thinks he is right.
He’s calling for a review of Canada’s immigration policies to make sure they address things like honour killings to reduce the chance of families being ripped apart by violence.
