Falsely accused and sentenced to death

Concerning H.D. vs Denmark for violation of articles 2, 12 and 15 of CEDAW.

The author is a national of Somalia, born in 1989. She was married in 2007 and her husband disappeared in 2010. In 2013, the author began a relationship with another man, A. It was a secret, because if al-Shabaab knew she had an extramarital relationship, she would be stoned to death. But her brother-in-law discovered. He came to her house, found her with A, stabbed him and subsequently killed him. Later same day she was accused of the murder of A. She was sentenced to death by a local sharia court for the murder of A and was to be executed 15 days later. She was imprisoned but escaped three days later, and with help from a local woman, she fled to Denmark.

The Committee is of the view that the author failed to establish that if deported to Somalia, she would be exposed to gender-based violence, and therefore declares it inadmissible.

22. July 2021

CEDAW 76/2014
  • Decision: 9 July 2018
  • Comm: Gender