Fadime Sahindal
Encyclopedia
Fadime Şahindal was a Kurdish
immigrant who moved to Sweden
from Turkey
at the age of seven. She was murdered by her father, Rahmi, in January 2002 in an "honor killing
".
Fadime then left her family and moved to Sundsvall
, where her brother found her and threatened her. She went to the police who advised her at first to talk to her family. She then turned to the media with her story, after which she turned again to the police and was offered a secret identity. By turning to the media Fadime managed to receive support from the Swedish authorities, but she had also made the "shame" of her family public.
She filed a lawsuit against her father and brother and won - her father was accused of unlawful threats.
The next month, in June 1998, they were scheduled to move in together when the boyfriend, Patrick, died in a car accident. He was buried in Uppsala
.
Her father forbade her to visit Uppsala
, since he did not want her to visit her former boyfriend's grave. Nalin Pekgul
, a Kurdish-Swedish parliamentarian negotiated a compromise in which Şahindal agreed to stay away from Uppsala and her father promised not to stalk her.
On 20 November 2001 the Violence against Women network arranged a seminar about the topic "Integration on whose terms?". During the seminar Fadime spoke in front of the Swedish parliament
about her personal story.
On 21 January 2002, Fadime was secretly visiting her mother and sisters in Uppsala. Her father arrived and shot her in the head, in front of her mother and two sisters. Confronted by police, he confessed and said to his defence that he was ill. Despite the confession, one of her cousins later tried to convince the police that he had killed her.
Her murder sparked a debate in Sweden about immigrant integration and raised questions regarding Patrick's death.
Fadime was buried in Uppsala.
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
immigrant who moved to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
from Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
at the age of seven. She was murdered by her father, Rahmi, in January 2002 in an "honor killing
Honor killing
An honor killing or honour killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief of the perpetrators that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family or community...
".
Life
Şahindal was opposed to her family's insistence on an arranged marriage, and instead selected her own boyfriend. At first she kept the relationship secret, but her father found out about it.Fadime then left her family and moved to Sundsvall
Sundsvall
-External links:* - Official site from Nordisk Familjebok - Sundsvalls tourist information bureau. - The alternative guide to Sundsvall. - Blog with photos from Sundsvall....
, where her brother found her and threatened her. She went to the police who advised her at first to talk to her family. She then turned to the media with her story, after which she turned again to the police and was offered a secret identity. By turning to the media Fadime managed to receive support from the Swedish authorities, but she had also made the "shame" of her family public.
She filed a lawsuit against her father and brother and won - her father was accused of unlawful threats.
The next month, in June 1998, they were scheduled to move in together when the boyfriend, Patrick, died in a car accident. He was buried in Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
.
Her father forbade her to visit Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
, since he did not want her to visit her former boyfriend's grave. Nalin Pekgul
Nalin Pekgul
Nalin Pekgul is a Swedish Social Democratic politician. She was born in Batman, in Turkey. Between 1994-2002, Pekgül was a member of the Swedish parliament. She was now chairwoman of Social Democratic Women in Sweden 2003-2011....
, a Kurdish-Swedish parliamentarian negotiated a compromise in which Şahindal agreed to stay away from Uppsala and her father promised not to stalk her.
On 20 November 2001 the Violence against Women network arranged a seminar about the topic "Integration on whose terms?". During the seminar Fadime spoke in front of the Swedish parliament
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
about her personal story.
On 21 January 2002, Fadime was secretly visiting her mother and sisters in Uppsala. Her father arrived and shot her in the head, in front of her mother and two sisters. Confronted by police, he confessed and said to his defence that he was ill. Despite the confession, one of her cousins later tried to convince the police that he had killed her.
Her murder sparked a debate in Sweden about immigrant integration and raised questions regarding Patrick's death.
Fadime was buried in Uppsala.
Further reading
Read an excerptExternal links
- Fadime's memorial page (Swedish)