On April 30th, police in Hallsberg, Sweden were alerted about the attempted kidnapping of a young woman, after two men were seen forcing a girl into a car. The police took action and stopped the car shortly afterwards, freeing the victim who showed signs of abuse.
Investigations revealed that the Palestinian-Swedish girl had lived under strict family supervision. As a young girl, she was not allowed to leave her home alone, was forced to wear a headscarf, and could not choose her own friends. In 2023, she was taken back to Gaza against her will, but when war broke out, she managed to escape and made her way back to Sweden. Although she moved from shelter to shelter, her relatives tracked her down several times and tried to force her to return home, and attempted to kidnap her the first time in 2024.
Telephone messages obtained by investigators showed the family’s hostility towards the woman’s attempts to become independent. In one exchange, her father wrote in Arabic: “Her head must be cut off!” He later told the police that this was not meant literally, claiming that it reflected a cultural way of speaking.
Prosecutors are now charging the father, mother, and brother with unlawful detention for the April kidnapping, while the sister is charged with aiding and abetting.
The family arrived in Sweden from Gaza in 2000 and all members have since been granted citizenship, meaning that even if the suspected perpetrators are found guilty, they cannot be deported.
Honor crimes have become increasingly common in Sweden in recent years.
