Father,Uncle Kill Daughter in Increasing Trend of "Honor Killings" in UK

LONDON(AP)Friday July 20,2007 -

The father and uncle of a woman who was brutally murdered for falling in love with the wrong man were sentenced to life in prison Friday for ordering the killing.

The 2006 murder of 20-year-old Banaz Mahmod, 20, who was strangled after two hours of torture and sexual abuse, was the latest in an increasing trend of so-called ``honor killings'' in Britain, home to some 1.8 million Muslims.

Mahmod was a member of an Iraqi Kurd family that had emigrated to Britain in 1998.

Her father, Mahmod Mahmod, and uncle Ari Mahmod, were found guilty of ordering the killing. A third man, Mohamad Hama, who had pleaded guilty to taking part in the killing, was sentenced to at least 17 years in prison.

Mahmod's family accused her of shaming them by ending an abusive arranged marriage, becoming too Westernized and falling in love with a man who did not come from their village. The elder Mahmods ordered the killing after discovering she was having a relationship with an Iranian Kurd.

During the trial, the jury was told how the victim's attempts to get help were dismissed by police.
The killing occurred several days later, and her body was disposed of in a suitcase.

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