Man and woman in Cyprus sentenced and fined for assaulting their daughter because she refused to wear headscarf

A court in south Cyprus has given a 41-year-old man and and his 31-year-old wife a four-month suspended prison sentence and fine respectively for assaulting a 14-year-old Muslim girl who had refused to wear her religious headscarf to school.

The verdict was delivered by Limassol District Court last week.

The issue happened in 2021 and was reported to the Police and Social Welfare Services at the time.

The defendants were the teenager’s 41-year-old father and 31-year-old stepmother who both beat her because she refused to wear her ‘hijab’ to school.

The Court imposed a four-month suspended prison sentence on the 41-year-old father and a fine on the 31-year-old stepmother.

The father admitted the offence of common assault against the minor and expressed remorse.

He said he had felt it was appropriate for his daughter to wear the hijab as their religious beliefs made it mandatory.

He also said he was wrong and that it is best for his daughter to conform to the Western world’s standards.

After the incident and her complaint to the authorities, the minor was removed from her father’s residence and her supervision was taken over by the Social Welfare Services.

In-Cyprus