Ghent: Imam prosecuted for not preventing murders

The prosecution in Ghent has demanded a one year prison sentence against Muhsin Paksoy, a former imam of the Ghent central mosque, for guilty negligence. On Nov. 11, 2004, Osman Calli, who a day later would kill four women, called up Paksoy. Calli's wife told the imam that her husband was going to kill her, but Paksoy did not intervene.

Teslime Calli was crying and panicking when she told the imam that she'd been tortured and that her husband would kill her, according to the prosecutor. Osman Callid had locked her and her sister up and tied them up in the cellar of his residence in Sint Amandsberg (Ghent). He had nicked his wife's face with a knife, in order to get her to confess that she had committed adultery.

Calli had called the imam for advice. He said he had proof that his wife had cheated him. The imam cited a verse from the koran, curse each other and divorce. The conversation was cut off, but Calli called up the imam one more time, saying that he can't live on with this shame. He let his wife speak with the imam. Teslime Calli said she had let another man in the residence, but had not committed adultery.

The prosecution claims that the imam knew that the woman was in grave danger. Calli was looking for justification from the imam for the murder that he would commit. The imam told Calli that he lived in Belgium and that can't act like a bastard, but he did not go to the police. Paksoy later declared that he couldn't call the police since he speaks poor Dutch.

Osman Calli first shot his wife and her sister dead. After that he set the house afire and went to Nieuwerkerken. There he murder his ex-girlfriend and the mother of her new partner. He also shot the new friend, but the man survived the attack. Calli said he had taken revenge because his honor had been violated. He still has to stand trial.

Shortly after these events the imam fled to Turkey. He failed to appear at the court. The court will pass judgment May 5th.

Source: HLN (Dutch)

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