An Iraqi father accused of beating, imprisoning, and threatening to kill his daughter after she refused an arranged marriage has been arrested in Sweden on a European warrant issued by Italian authorities.
The 52-year-old man was tracked down by Taranto State Police after the authorities in southern Italy opened an investigation into domestic abuse and forced marriage following a complaint from the young woman last November.
As reported by Il Giornale, prosecutors say the victim told officers her father had demanded she marry a Kurdish man selected by him and had threatened her with death if she resisted or tried to flee abroad.
The woman had traveled from Iraq to join her family in Taranto, but investigators say she soon found herself trapped in what police described as a family campaign to force her into submission.
According to the allegations, her relatives sided with her father because they believed she wanted to live in a way that was too “Western” and incompatible with their cultural expectations.
When she refused to obey, her father allegedly held her captive inside an apartment in the southern Italian city and subjected her to violence that left her with injuries requiring 15 days to recover.
Police also believe the pressure became so severe that the young woman was forced to give up work and began a life of isolation, fuelled by fear over her safety.
The young woman gave evidence under protected arrangements before being moved to a secure facility, where she remains.