My sister, 20, was raped & killed at home by hitman ordered by our dad & uncle – now I’ve been forced into hiding

BANAZ Mahmod was just 20 when she was raped and murdered in a so-called “honour killing” by a hitman ordered by her dad and uncle. Her devastated sister Bekhal says she was forced into hiding after cops told her they had found Banaz’s body buried in a suitcase in the garden of a Birmingham home in early 2006. (Left to right) Mohammed Ali, Omar Hussain and Mahmod were all found guilty for the ‘honour killing’ Credit: PA:Press Association Banaz Mahmod was raped and murdered by a hitman ordered by her dad and uncle Credit: PA Brave Bekhal, who has concealed her identity for two decades, testified against her Iraqi-Kurdish family and revealed harrowing details about the last time she saw her sister alive. Banaz, who moved from the UK from Iraq with her family in 1998, had been forced into an arranged marriage with a man 10 years older, and was allegedly beaten and raped by him. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Speaking to Zara McDermott on her Truth Be Told podcast, Bekhal described her sister as her husband’s “servant”, adding: “He was violent to her. He didn’t see her as another human being who had any rights.” When Zara asked Bekhal how Banaz was the last time she saw her, she said: “Not good. Her face was drawn in. You could see her cheekbones sticking out. Banaz was raped, then kicked, stamped on and strangled to death Credit: ITV The marriage had been arranged by Banaz’s father Mahmod Mahmod in 2003 Credit: PA:Press Association “Her eye sockets were sunk in. She looked drained. She looked like she was being held against her will.” Banaz told her parents she wanted a divorce, and fell in love with a man of her own choosing, her boyfriend Rahmat Sulemani. When one of her cousins spotted Banaz and Rahmat kissing outside Morden Tube station on December 2, 2005, her uncle Ari Agha Mahmod was quickly alerted. Ari called a meeting of male family members at his home in Mitcham, South London, where it was agreed that the couple were bringing “shame” upon their name and meticulously plotted her murder. Most read in The Sun Banaz’s dad, Mahmod Babakir Mahmod, and her uncle Ari contracted Mohamad Hama to murder the 20-year-old. Banaz was brutally raped and murdered in the living room of her family home on the morning of January 24, 2006. In horrific accounts, Hama bragged about raping Banaz and stamping on her head to “get her soul out”, before strangling her to death and placing her body in a suitcase. Hama, along with Banaz’s cousins Mohammed Saleh Ali and Omar Hussain, then travelled to Birmingham to bury her remains in a suitcase in a deep hole in the back garden. Domestic abuse - how to get help DOMESTIC abuse can affect anyone - including men - and does not always involve physical violence. Here are some signs that you could be in an abusive relationship: Emotional abuse – Including being belittled, blamed for the abuse – gaslighting – being isolated from family and friends, having no control over your finances, what you where and who you speak to Threats and intimidation – Some partners might threaten to kill or hurt you, destroy your belongings, stalk or harass you Physical abuse – This can range from slapping or hitting to being shoved over, choked or bitten. Sexual abuse – Being touched in a way you do not want to be touched, hurt during sex, pressured into sex or forced to have sex when you do not consent. If any of the above apply to you or a friend, you can call these numbers: The Freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge on 0808 2000 247 for free at any time, day or night Men who are being abused can call Respect Men’s Advice Line on 0808 8010 327 or ManKind on 0182 3334 244 Those who identify as LGBT+ can ring Galop on 0800 999 5428 If you are in immediate danger or fear for your life, always ring 999 Remember, you are not alone. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse over the course of their lifetime. Every 30 seconds the police receive a call for help relating to domestic abuse. Bekhal said: “They marked who was going to do who, who had what part to play, who was going to get paid, they did what they did to her. “They strangled her, they did horrific things to her and they took her life in my family’s home. “The very same people that were meant to protect her, they left home willing to let these people come into the house and take her and her life, stuff her into a suitcase and take her away in a hired car miles away to be buried in an abandoned home like she was trash.” Banaz’s body remained undiscovered for three months, but her boyfriend Rahmet, who sadly took his own life in 2016, reported her missing and her dad and uncle were arrested. Her dad was slapped with a life sentence with a minimum term of 20 years for murder and her uncle was handed the same sentence but with a minimum term of 23 years. Her cousins were also convicted of murder, with Hussain and Ali receiving minimum terms of 22 years and 21 years respectively. Now, Bekhal is campaigning for Banaz’s Law, which would see “honour” abuse become a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing. She said: “I am calling for change to ensure that accountability for perpetrators is put in place by increasing the punishment they receive so that people like my uncle and my dad can get longer time.” The sister added: “Banaz actually reported five times to the police. Rape, physical assault, attempts to actually kill. But none of this was followed up. None until it was too late. “They followed up after her life had been taken. It shouldn’t have got to that. “If the police and social services keep making the same mistakes they did, there will be more lives lost and that’s what I will try to change for other women.”