Swedish Police Arrest Iraqi Man on Italian Warrant in Forced Marriage Case

Swedish authorities arrested a 52-year-old Iraqi man on a European arrest warrant issued by Italian authorities, following allegations of domestic abuse and forced marriage in Taranto, Italy. The arrest stemmed from an investigation opened by Taranto State Police after the young woman filed a complaint in November 2025.

Prosecutors stated that the father demanded his daughter marry a Kurdish man he selected and threatened her with death if she resisted or tried to flee abroad.

The woman had traveled from Iraq to join her family in Taranto, where her father allegedly held her captive inside an apartment and subjected her to violence that left her with injuries requiring 15 days to recover. Police said the pressure forced her to give up work and led to a life of isolation due to fear for her safety.

Relatives reportedly supported the father, viewing the daughter's choices as conflicting with family cultural norms.

The young woman gave evidence under protected arrangements and was moved to a secure facility, where she remains. Investigators discovered the father had left Italy for Sweden, leading to his arrest on the warrant issued after a precautionary detention order by a judge in Taranto.

In a related case, a Bangladeshi couple living in Rimini, Italy, was placed under house arrest in October 2025, accused by prosecutors of forcing their 20-year-old daughter into marriage in Bangladesh.

Prosecutors stated the couple subjected her to threats, abuse, and drugs intended to induce pregnancy. The 20-year-old woman was taken into protective custody after being tricked into traveling to Bangladesh under the false pretense of visiting a sick relative.

Once there, her parents confiscated her documents and forced her to marry a wealthy man more than 20 years older than her, with the wedding held on December 17, 2024.

Italian investigators alleged she was threatened and abused before and after the ceremony, and given medication intended to promote pregnancy and sedatives to reduce her resistance to sex with her husband. The woman secretly began taking contraceptives and contacted a health center in Rimini through Instagram, which triggered involvement by Italian authorities.

She convinced her mother to bring her back to Italy by claiming she would feel more at peace and ready to have children if she returned.

Berlin authorities warned in summer 2025 that school holidays are a danger period for young people being taken abroad and married against their will. Berlin’s Neukolln district office stated that most of the affected girls and boys grew up in Germany and could be taken out of the country during holidays to be married in their parents’ country of origin.

District Mayor Martin Hikel stated, 'Forced and early marriages are human rights violations that we do not tolerate.

Women's rights advocate Seyran Ates described forced marriages as a human rights issue in some communities, expressing concern over potential increases linked to integration challenges. During the 2019 migrant crisis in Greece, a 15-year-old girl in the Moria camp faced threats from relatives over marriage refusal and was placed in protective shelter.

Greek minister Eirini Agapidaki recalled the case on April 28, 2026, stating that the camp had descended into absolute chaos at the time. Agapidaki said a mother agreed to marry off her 15-year-old daughter to someone in the camp. The girl was removed from the Moria camp and placed in a shelter for unaccompanied minors.