Honour killings ‘twisted, barbaric’
Canada sends message, justice minister says after Shafia verdict
Canadian courts will deal harshly with those convicted of so-called honour killings, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson told Parliament Monday, after heavy sentences were handed down in the high-profile Shafia family murder trial.
“We have been very clear those crimes are barbaric and have no place in Canada,” he said during question period.
The “twisted rationale” behind honour killings carries no weight in Canada, Nicholson said.
“In Canada, Mr. Speaker, murder is murder, regardless of the motive,” he said.
“We send the message loudly and clearly: if you commit such terrible acts of violence in Canada, you will face Canadian justice.”
The Shafia case has captured the attention of Canadians for years, culminating in the conviction for firstdegree murder of three members of the Shafia family in a Kingston, Ont., courtroom on Sunday. After 15 hours of deliberation, the jury handed down the guilty verdict.
Mohammad Shafia, 58, his wife Tooba Mohammad Yahya, 42, and their son Hamed, 21, were convicted of the first-degree murder of Shafia’s three teenage daughters and his first wife. The four were found drowned inside a car that had been pushed into a canal near Kingston in 2009.
For their crime, each was sentenced to life in prison, with no chance of parole for 25 years.