Honor Killing in Tirana, Albania: Palestinian Father Suspected of Rape and Murder of Daughter

Rayyan Alwan
Stabbed to death: February 19-22, 2025
Residence: Germany
Origin: Palestinian
Perpetrator: Father Fadi Alwan

The Palestinian-born Rayyan Alwan and her father, Fadi Alwan, traveled from Germany to Albania, presumably using forged Greek documents, and arrived there on February 19. On February 27, the body of 24-year-old Rayyan was found dead by the owner of a rental apartment in Tirana.

Video footage captured the 49-year-old Fadi leaving the apartment early in the morning on February 22. He took a taxi straight to the airport and then traveled via Athens to Amsterdam.

Police suspect that Rayyan was raped and murdered by her father and that she was a victim of honor killing.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.