Honor Killing in Eskilstuna, Sweden: Abier Murdered for Wanting a Divorce

Abier Alahmad
Age: 27
Strangled/Suffocated: September 2024
Residence: Eskilstuna, Sweden
Origin: Unknown
Children: 2
Perpetrators: Husband, mother-in-law

Abier, 27, was found dead on September 17, 2024, in her apartment in Eskilstuna, Sweden. She was the mother of two children and had planned to travel to Greece to see them. Her body was discovered two days later after her employer noticed she had not shown up for work. According to reports, she was strangled or suffocated.

Abier had been married off to her cousin at the age of seventeen. She had expressed a desire to divorce, but her husband and his family opposed this decision. For an extended period, Abier was under pressure and faced violence and threats. The family also had opinions about her clothing and demanded that she wear a veil. Abier filed multiple complaints with the police, including against her father-in-law for abuse and threats, and against her husband for taking their children to Turkey without permission. According to her sister, these complaints were often withdrawn under family pressure.

Abier’s husband and his mother were sentenced to life imprisonment in August 2025, while other family members were convicted of complicity or assisting the perpetrators after the murder. All convicts deny the charges.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.