The imam from Karlovy Vary brutally beat his wife and children for over 10 years, he is behind bars

However, the regional court in Pilsen did not understand his behavior and sent the 50-year-old imam, who lives permanently in Karlovy Vary, to prison for four and a half years for long-term abuse of family members.

The original sentence imposed on him last December by the Karlovy Vary District Court was thus increased by a year. The judgment is final.

“He told the victim what he could and couldn’t do. He insulted her by swearing that she was dirt, garbage or a cow. He also beat the woman with a stick over her arms and legs, tied her up or pulled her hair. He also forbade her to talk to him about the upbringing of their children. She also had to put up with the fact that the defendant brought another wife to their joint residence, who lived there with them,” the indictment states.

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According to the file, he further trained and cruelly punished four minor children. For minor transgressions, such as not knowing the Koran, he beat them with a wooden spoon or tied them to a goat and poked them in the ribs, even when they begged and cried not to do it.

“He instituted the command ‘ishtyma’, which meant boarding. After this command, all the children had to run to him and line up according to size. The latecomers received a few blows with a wooden spoon,” the indictment further describes, adding that everything culminated in August 2022.

“He beat his son and daughter three days in a row in all parts of the body, forcing them to stand on one leg against the wall with their hands above their heads as a punishment,” pointed out the public prosecutor.

If he lived in the Czech Republic, it was his duty to follow the laws of that country. And any ignorance of them does not excuse him

According to the court’s conclusion, this is completely unacceptable behavior that, from the point of view of all possible cultures, lacks the basic principles of decency and morality.

“The defendant cannot in any way be excused by the fact that he grew up in a different environment. If he lived in the Czech Republic, it was his duty to follow the laws of that country. And any ignorance on their part does not excuse him,” said Simona Kubošková, chairwoman of the regional court, adding that the sentence imposed by the district court was disproportionately mild.

“The defendant committed abuse against five people over a long period of time. In the case of the wife, it took more than 10 years, and in the case of the children, over six years,” added the judge.

At the same time, she emphasized that the man lacks any self-reflection. “If he showed remorse, he only regretted himself,” concluded Kuboušková.

The wife got used to hardship

The victim herself stated that she married Saddam H. in 2012 shortly after she accepted Islam as a religion. They have a total of five children together. She admitted that the man was strict with her and blamed her for everything.

“I worried about it, but I trusted that my husband knew what was right according to the faith. I even initially agreed to him bringing a second wife with the understanding that she would help me run the household. But I found out that it was only about satisfying his sexual needs,” testified the 54-year-old woman.

The father created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty in the family, the children did not know when and for what they would be punished. They were worried about each other

The Karlovy Vary District Court, headed by Senate President Petr Vošta, stated that the defendant was clearly still in the position of aggressor, while his wife was in the role of victim.

“He abused his position as an imam and a scholar of the faith, manipulating his wife into a subordinate position in which she felt that she could not handle anything and that she was dependent on him,” read the reasoning behind the original judgment.

The experts stated that the victim must have undoubtedly felt severe cruelty during her cohabitation with the defendant, but she was not capable of any fundamental resistance.

“She trivialized her hardship and got so used to the discomfort that she probably would have remained in the relationship if the defendant’s behavior towards the children had not exceeded the limit of tolerance and if she had not started blaming herself for not being able to protect her children,” the experts added.

The experts said that the abused children had no one to complain to or find refuge with, and were dependent on how the father would deal with them.

“He created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty in the family, when the children did not know when and for what they would be punished. They were worried about each other,” experts concluded.