Oslo: Four charged with forcing 16 year old into marriage
Via Dagbladet (Norwegian):
Four men have been charged with forcibly marrying a 16 year old girl to a 23 year old man. The marriage was carried out March 2009 in the Oslo suburb of Skedsmo. The girl's family gave their blessings to the marriage.
The case against the men - aged 23, 44, 47 and 49 - is based on the girl's statement. Dagbladet has learned that the four Iraqi defendants denied the charges.
According to prosecutor Olav Helge Thue the girl was forced to answer questions as part of a religious marriage ceremony. An imam, who has not been charged, conducted the ceremony.
Thue says that the girl was coerced using her young age and psychological ties to her family.
The girl told the police that she eventually made it clear she wanted out of the marriage. According to the indictment, she then faced serious threats from two of the defendants. The 23 and 47 year olds forced her to remain in the religious marriage by threatening her she'll be excommunicated from her family, sent back to Iraq against her will, and with threats of suicide. This despite the fact that she asked for help to leave it.
