An Inquest into the deaths of Khaola Saleem and her daughter, Reneem Oudeh, to commence at 10am on 31 October 2022, court room 3, Birmingham Coronor’s Court.
Family of deceased, supported by women’s groups, call accountability and justice
On 27 August 2018, Khaola Saleem and her daughter Reneem Oudeh (22) were both stabbed to death by Reneem’s second husband, Janbaz Tarin, outside Khaola’s home in Solihull, Birmingham.
Reneem was murdered following a horrific campaign of escalating domestic violence, honour-based abuse and stalking from Tarin. Tarin harassed and frightened Reneem into marriage in an Islamic ceremony in April 2017. Tarin, from a fundamentalist Afghani Muslim background, warned Raneem that ‘‘we don’t have divorce in our culture. The day that you will be free from me is the day I will kill you.’’ He treated her as his possession, and subjected her to rape, assaults and coercive control during their marriage. Raneem later discovered that Tarin had another wife and children in in Afghanistan.
The police had been called to the property they shared with their small child on numerous occasions due to reports of violence and social services became involved. Raneem tried on more than one occasion to leave Tarin, but Tarin who was under probation supervision, continued to demand she return to him. His threats included sending her a photograph of his forearm where he had carved out her name. Raneem understood this as a threat to her life. She finally applied for a non-molestation order, but, whilst it was served on Tarin, the police had not yet received it.
On the evening of the double murder, Raneem and Khoala went to a local Shisha bar, where Tarin appeared and attempted to assault both women. After being ejected, he was seen making a slicing action across this throat. Raneem called the police asking them informing them of the non-molestation order, but the police failed to attend while they waited in the bar. Raneem and Khaola eventually went to Raneem’s flat, but found they were locked out as they did not have the keys. Terrified that Tarin may find them, they called the police three more times. The police did not come, and advised them to go to Khaola’s house and lock the doors. When they arrived at Khaola’s house, the police called to say they would visit in the morning. While Raneem was still speaking on her phone to the police, Tarin repeatedly stabbed her. Khaola died when defending her daughter from his attack.
Tarin was arrested three days later. He was convicted of the double murder in 2018 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 32 years.
The Article 2 Inquest will explore the full circumstances leading up to and surrounding the death of both women and consider whether there were state failures which more than minimally contributed to their deaths.
A number of organisations are supporting the bereaved family in the Inquest to ensure that systemic failings are recognised and addressed to improve state accountability to abused black and minority women they have a duty to protect.
Nour Norris, sister of Khaola and aunt to Raneem, says:
“I am so relieved that finally after four long years of waiting, the inquest into the deaths of my beloved sister Khaola and her beautiful daughter Raneem, my niece, is starting on the 31st October. I hope that this inquest will not only get justice for them but that it will also raise awareness of the danger that domestic abuse and coercive control poses to all women but particularly those from different ethnicities and cultures: violence against women must always be taken seriously.”
Harriet Wistrich, Director for the Centre for Women’s Justice, says:
“Whilst there are laws, policies and a range of measures available to protect women from male violence, as our police super complaint has shown, time and again we see, as in this tragic case, they are not worth the paper they are written on. We hope by shining a light on what went wrong the inquest into this horrendous loss of life, will help galvanise transformational change”
Dr Hannana Siddiqui, Head of Policy and Research at Southall Black Sisters, says:
“Janbaz’s ultra conservative religious and cultural beliefs viewed women as men’s property. He would have regarded the murders as restoring his so called ‘honour’ following Raneem’s refusal to conform. The police failed to take the threat to life seriously, despite increased public awareness and professional training in the last two decades following the ‘honour killings’ of many others, including that of Banaz Mahmod in 2006 when the police did not protect her in the name of ‘cultural and religious sensitivity’. It is time to end this heinous crime.”
Selen Cavcav, senior caseworker from Inquest says:
“Four years on, this inquest will provide the first opportunity for the family and the public to hear directly from state agencies including West Midlands Police, about their actions. The central issue is why all the systems which are supposed to be in place to protect women from violence fell by the wayside, resulting in the shocking deaths of two women from minoritised communities.”
Dr Surwat Sohail, Chief Executive, Roshni Birmingham says
“Despite training, workshops and many campaigns held in the West Midlands, we have lost two innocent lives. The inquest will help us all to understand where our systems failed to protect those at risk of this heinous crime and to review systems and practices to ensure better protection for victims in the future”
Notes:
Legal representation - The family are represented by Sarah Kellas, solicitor, Birnberg Peirce Ltd, Alia Akram from Garden Court, and Brenda Campbell KC Garden Court chambers.
Previous media releases - https://www.inquest.org.uk/khaola-saleem-and-raneem-oudeh-response
About the supporting organisations
Centre for Women’s Justice is a legal charity founded in 2016, which aims to advance the human rights of women and girls in England and Wales by holding the state to account for failures in the prevention of violence against women and girls. Bringing together specialist lawyers, academics and other experts in the field of violence against women with those working on the frontline as activists, survivors and service providers, the Centre aims to secure justice for female victims and survivors of male violence by undertaking strategic litigation, including intervening in appropriate cases
Southall Black Sisters is a leading ‘by and for’ black and minority women’s organisation founded in 1979. It provides frontline services and campaigns for the rights of black and minority women and girls facing gender-based violence. It also supports bereaved family and friends. It has an expertise on domestic abuse, forced marriage and honour-based abuse; and has introduced many legal and policy reforms on these and intersecting issues such as immigration, mental health and poverty. It challenges conversative cultural and religious value systems and campaigns for greater state accountability. It aims to empower black and minority women to assert their rights to justice, freedom and equality.
INQUEST is the only charity providing expertise on state related deaths and their investigation to bereaved people, lawyers, advice and support agencies, the media and parliamentarians. Our specialist casework includes death in police and prison custody, immigration detention, mental health settings and deaths involving multi-agency failings or where wider issues of state and corporate accountability are in question, such as the deaths and wider issues around Hillsborough and Grenfell Tower. Our policy, parliamentary, campaigning and media work is grounded in the day-to-day experience of working with bereaved people. Please refer to INQUEST the organisation in all capital letters in order to distinguish it from the legal hearing
Roshni Birmingham supports Black & Minoritised communities affected by domestic abuse including Forced Marriage & Honour Based Abuse. Set up in 1979, Roshni Birmingham is a leading provider supporting survivors through their journey to safety, confidence and independence to live free from violence, abuse and fear.