Honor Killing in Lessebo, Sweden: Father and Brother Convicted of Murdering Shahida Azizi

Shahida Azizi / Lima Khan
Age: 22
Strangled: May 3, 2024
Residence: Lessebo, Sweden
Origin: Afghanistan
Perpetrators: Father, brother

Shahida Azizi, a 22-year-old woman of Afghan descent, grew up in Lessebo, Sweden, in a strictly traditional family. For years, she was subjected to control, intimidation, and threats by her family because of her life choices.

Shahida accused her 45-year-old father, Azizu Rahman Azizi, of sexual abuse and reported him to the authorities. Against her family's wishes, she married a man of her own choosing and moved elsewhere in Sweden, where she lived under the alias Lima Khan with a protected identity.

In the spring of 2024, Shahida was persuaded by her family to return to Lessebo, where her parents and her 23-year-old brother, Zafran Aziz Azizi, lived. On May 3, 2024, a confrontation escalated in a car in Lessebo: Zafran strangled Shahida with her own scarf, acting on Azizu’s orders. Shahida’s mother was present and later testified that she was beaten when she tried to intervene. After the murder, Shahida’s body was burned in a wind shelter at the Ekebacken recreational area. On May 4, 2024, her remains were discovered there by the police.

The police investigation led to the arrest of Azizu, Zafran, and the mother. During interrogation, Zafran stated that he acted under pressure from Azizu, while Azizu denied all involvement. The mother claimed she was unaware of the murder plan.

The trial began on February 11, 2025, at the Växjö District Court and lasted fifteen sessions. The prosecution presented forensic evidence, including DNA traces, and testimonies from Zafran and the mother, showing that the murder was intended to restore the family’s honor.

On April 2, 2025, the court delivered its verdict. Azizu was sentenced to life imprisonment as the instigator of the murder, which was classified as an honor killing – an aggravating circumstance under Swedish law. Zafran received a 16-year prison sentence for carrying out the strangulation. The court found Azizu’s guilt proven “beyond reasonable doubt,” supported by forensic evidence and Zafran’s testimony. The mother was acquitted due to insufficient evidence of active involvement. Azizu and Zafran were each ordered to pay 110,000 Swedish kronor in damages to Shahida’s remaining siblings.

The case caused an uproar in Sweden due to the honor killing motive and the brutality of the crime. Life imprisonment is rare in Sweden and is only imposed for exceptionally serious offenses.

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.