May 2007

Sahar was 14 years old when she was married to a man, who was suffering from an illness which was believed to have rendered him infertile. He decided to undergo treatment and a surgical intervention, during which time Sahar became pregnant. Such a miracle would seem cause for celebration, yet Sahar’s relatives reacted only with suspicion. After persuading her husband that the child could not be his, and must have been conceived as the result of an extra-marital affair, Sahar was tried before the courts for “illicit relations”.

Medical experts testified that in the end Sahar’s husband was indeed fertile and DNA tests confirmed the child was his. The judge, however, believing that Sahar’s relatives would not be convinced even with this scientific evidence, placed her under the guard of an Alip - women`s shelter.

While in the shelter, Sahar received a visit from her brother-in-law, who convinced her that his family had been persuaded and truly believed her innocent. He asked her to come and live with him, offering guarantees that neither he nor anyone else would harm her. On May 24, this same brother-in-law fired three shots into her chest, killing her.

Translated from French.

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