25-year prison sentence for complicity in honour killing
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Four men have been sentenced to 25 years in jail for murdering a female relative. Jeroen ten Voorde, Professor of Criminal and Criminal Procedural Law, spoke to ‘Trouw’ newspaper about the court ruling: ‘They're all considered perpetrators under criminal law.’
Roshin A., 28, was stabbed to death by her eldest brother in broad daylight on 5 September 2023. It was later revealed that another brother and two cousins were also involved in plotting the murder, which was committed to uphold the family honour. The prosecution had demanded 25 years in prison for the four suspects. ‘A severe demand, but such sentences are demanded more often these days and imposed for serious homicides,’ Ten Voorde said.
‘What is particularly striking is that the suspects involved in the crime had various roles, though the sentence demanded is the same for all of them.’ The professor says that according to law, the same maximum sentence can be imposed on accomplices as on the person committing the murder. ‘They're all considered perpetrators under criminal law,’ Ten Voorde explains. ‘It basically boils down to accusing them of the same offence, even though their role in executing it varied.’ You can be considered complicit if you even discuss the decision to kill someone at a family meeting, says the professor. ‘Apparently, the Public Prosecution Service in this case wanted to make clear that this collaboration was so intense that they all deserved the same punishment.’
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Read the full article in Trouw (in Dutch)