Sweden: Six charged over 'honor' beating
Six men in Hallsberg, central Sweden, were charged with beating a 19-year-old with metal rods at a gym. Police believe the attack is an honor crime. (more in English here)
The story turns out to be quite complicated, and I think the English language news report misses the main point. Via GP (Swedish):
The 19- year-old was attacked because he allegedly abused the daughter of one of the men a few weeks earlier. The man supposedly kidnapped the daughter in his car. The incident was reported to the police, but the investigation was closed.
Prosecutor Karl-Erik Antonsson says that the men did not accept the results of the police investigation and tried protecting the girl's honor. They believe there is only one way to atone for such a thing.
The man's lawyer, Elisabeth Massi Fritz, a specialist in honor crimes, says it's unusual that all the perpetrators have been charged. She says the investigation shows that the woman lived in a confining environment where she was not allowed to socialize with men, and that's why she was forced to make up a story. The lawyer says she's seen such things before.
The alleged kidnapping led to rumors which dishonored the family's reputation, says Massi Fritz, and says the story was completely false.
The men being charged are the girl's father (59) and her three bothers (all in their 20s), and friends of the family: a man (46) and his son (19).
The 19 year old victim says that one of the brothers had told him "you've kidnapped our sister, today we'll kill you."
