An Australian court jury convicted a woman accused of forcing her daughter to marry a man who killed her six weeks later. The story began when Sukaina Mohammed Jan compelled her 20-year-old daughter, Rokeya Haidari, to marry Mohammad Ali Halimi, an older man, after receiving a dowry of $10,000, according to the Standard newspaper.
The marriage took place in November 2019, and six weeks later, Mohammad Ali Halimi killed his wife in their home after an argument led him to grab a knife and stab her. He was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 19 years.
Following the husband’s sentencing, investigators considered prosecuting the mother, Sukaina Mohammed Jan, marking a first of its kind in Australia, a process that took three years to carry out. The court did not inform the jury about the wife's murder, focusing the trial on the mother's role and whether she was guilty of forcing her daughter into the marriage against her will.
The court heard testimonies from various individuals to whom Rokeya Haidari had complained about her mother's actions and her unwillingness to go through with the marriage to Halimi. Rokeya expressed to those close to her her feeling that her value as a woman diminished due to her status as a divorcee, which made her mother eager to marry her off in any possible way.
The mother’s trial lasted two weeks, and the jury deliberated for a day before reaching a conviction. A date for her sentencing will be set later.
