Iraqi asylum seeker convicted of raping and murdering Jewish teen in Germany
Ali Bashar sentenced to life in jail after committing a “coldblooded murder” and having showed “neither remorse nor empathy,”
An Iraqi man who sought asylum in Germany was convicted of raping and murdering a Jewish German teenage girl and sentenced to life in prison.
Ali Bashar fled Germany after killing Susanna Feldman, 14, in June 2018, and was discovered in Zakho, in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, where he admitted to the crime. There was no evidence that religion had been a factor.
Bashar had arrived in Germany in 2015 with his parents and five siblings, the French news agency AFP reported. His request for asylum had been rejected the following year and he remained in Germany waiting for his appeal.
The presiding judge said Tuesday that Bashar, 22, had committed a “coldblooded murder” and showed “neither remorse nor empathy,” AFP reported. Basher had “voiced no sincere word of regret” during his trial, the judge said. His case was found to be of “exceptional severity,” so Bashar will not be eligible for parole after 15 years as is usual.
Feldman’s body was found buried on the outskirts of the western German city of Wiesbaden on June 6, 2018, more than a week after the 14-year-old was killed. Bashar had sent messages from her cellphone to make her family believe she had taken a train to Paris. He left Germany and returned to Iraq during that time.
He was arrested and returned to Germany even though the countries do not have an extradition treaty.
The crime led to an increase in anti-migrant sentiment in Germany during the recent refugee crisis.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
