Nazaha was convicted by the Criminal Court in 2011 and sentenced to 25 years in prison. The High Court upheld the ruling in 2014.
The Supreme Court has upheld the life sentence of Mariyam Nazaha for the murder of her ex-husband, Hassan Shahid, in 2010.
Nazaha was convicted by the Criminal Court in 2011 and sentenced to 25 years in prison. The High Court upheld the ruling in 2014.
In today’s verdict, three out of five Supreme Court judges, Chief Justice Ahmed Muthasim Adnan, Judge Dr Azmiralda Zahir, and Judge Ali Rasheed supported the lower court’s decision. However, Judges Aisha Shujoon Mohamed and Dr Mohamed Ibrahim dissented, arguing that Nazaha should not be convicted of intentional homicide, but rather for reckless homicide.
Nazaha’s defense claimed she acted in self-defense, but Chief Justice Adnan ruled that her actions did not meet the criteria for self-defense under Islamic law. He noted that while the current Penal Code permits killing in self-defense, the circumstances of the case did not justify it.
The defense also cited Battered Woman Syndrome, arguing that Nazaha had endured past abuse. Judge Azmiralda acknowledged that such a condition could reduce culpability, but noted that no medical evidence had been provided to prove Nazaha suffered from it.
Judge Shujoon, who dissented, stated that Nazaha was in a vulnerable position due to Shahid’s previous abuse. She argued that the evidence did not conclusively prove an intent to kill and that Nazaha had acted in response to an imminent threat. She also highlighted procedural issues, such as Nazaha giving statements without legal counsel.
Nazaha did not receive the death penalty as Shahid's mother and family did not request for it.
She was initially sentenced to life imprisonment, but five years were later reduced from her sentence during former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration.
She now has about five years left to serve.
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