The gripping drama Honour, first shown on ITV back in 2020, has made its way to Netflix and is proving popular with viewers (despite being criticised by some for pushing a white saviour narrative). Many now want to learn more about the heartbreaking true story that inspired the two-part programme, as sadly it is based on the real case of Banaz Mahmod, a young Iraqi Kurdish woman from a Sunni Muslim family.
Banaz was seen kissing her boyfriend outside of a train station and was subsequently murdered at the request of her father and uncle.
Here, we look at the tragic case of Banaz Mahmod, what her sister Bekhal has said about the 'honour' killing since and how the true story – and quest to have the killers put behind bars – really played out.
Editor’s note: At Cosmopolitan, we take the factual accuracy of our journalism extremely seriously. An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Nazir Afzal and IKWRO had organised and paid for the burial of Banaz Mahmod and her headstone. Since publication, we have received information that confirms that Banaz’s sister, Payzee Mahmod, organised and paid for Banaz’s burial and headstone. As a result, some of these original sections have now been removed and we’d like to express our sincerest apologies to Payzee and anyone else close to Banaz who may have been impacted by this error.
Is Honour based on a true story?
Sadly yes, the two-part drama showing police working on a murder case is inspired by the real-life 'honour' killing of Banaz Mahmod, which took place in South London in 2006. She was just 20 years old at the time of her killing.
Banaz was murdered at the request of her father and uncle, both of whom became enraged after she bravely left a forced marriage and entered into a new relationship with a man named Rahmat Sulemani – who she was seen kissing outside of a tube station. In her father and uncle's eyes, this brought serious 'dishonour' to the family and was enough of a reason to have Banaz killed, much to the devastation of her sisters, Bekhal, Payzee and Ashti.
Also in real life, Banaz visited the police in October 2005 to report her fears that she was being followed by Kurdish men who were reporting her movements back to her father, and even provided the names of those she suspected might be trying to harm her.
Tragically, police didn't act on her fears and just four months later, Banaz's boyfriend, Rahmat, reported her missing in January 2006. Her remains were found buried in a garden in Birmingham a few months later and some of those that she'd named during her initial reporting to the police were ultimately found responsible.
Who was Banaz Mahmod?
Banaz Mahmod was a young Iraqi Kurdish woman who lived in London. She was one of five children (her parents had four daughters and one son) and had her entire life ahead of her at the time of her murder.
After being forced into a violent marriage at the age of 17 with a man ten years her senior, Banaz built up the courage to leave and live life on her own terms, despite knowing it would bring 'shame' on her family. Sadly, her father and uncle – who was known as the 'head of the family' – decided to punish Banaz harshly and believed her 'rebelling' against the horrific situation they'd forced her into was justification enough for ending her life. This is a brutal practice known as 'honour killing'.
Speaking about Banaz to Cosmopoltian UK in 2014, Nazir Afzal OBE, a former prosecutor within the Crown Prosecution Services, who was involved in the case, previously said, "A member of the community, not even her family, went to [Banaz's] uncle and dad and said she kissed somebody in public. I'm pretty sure that most of us would turn around and say 'go away' to that individual. However, her father and uncle decided that their daughter must die. And Banaz was murdered."
Afzal went on to say that heartbreakingly, Banaz was also raped before she was strangled to death on 24 January 2006 and that she was then buried in a suitcase. The Kurdish community then rallied around the family and tried to hinder the police from finding answers by providing false alibis and other misleading information.
Is DCI Caroline Goode a real person?
Yes she is, and the real-life DCI Goode acted as a consultant on the drama too. After Banaz was reported missing and a number of police failings had already occurred by the Metropolitan Police and West Midlands Police (one of which saw Banaz labelled as 'melodramatic' by an officer), the case was passed on to the Metropolitan Police Homicide and Serious Crime Command team. Detective Chief Inspector Caroline Goode took over the investigation, throwing her all into it, and ultimately led on finding the men responsible for Banaz's murder.
In the series, DCI Goode is played by Keeley Hawes, who previously told the Radio Times that she felt a great responsibility when undertaking the role, given it is based on true events.
"These are real people and it's always going to be actually unimaginable what Banaz and her family have been through, and Caroline dedicated her life to this case," the actor shared. "With something like this [Honour], we were all so mindful that we were dealing with real people – Banaz, Caroline, their families, everybody involved, the team."
Who murdered Banaz Mahmod?
Several people have been named guilty in relation to the murder of Banaz Mahmod: her father (Mahmod Babakir Mahmod), uncle (Ari Agha Mahmod) and three of her cousins (Mohamad Marid Hama, Mohammed Saleh Ali and Omar Hussain). All were charged with murder between February and May 2006, as more evidence came to light.
Banaz's uncle and father were both sentenced to life in prison, Mohamed Marid Hama received a 17-year sentence and Mohammed Saleh Ali and Omar Hussain were ordered to serve 22 and 21 years respectively.
Another man and cousin of Banaz, Dana Amin, was also found guilty in December 2013 in relation to helping dispose of Banaz's body and was jailed for eight years.
Along with Banaz and Rahmat's police statements, the convictions were secured after Mohamad Marid Hama was secretly recorded bragging about carrying out the killing while in custody. This, along with phone records belonging to Banaz's family, that compromised their police statements, eventually led to her remains being found in the April of 2006 in Birmingham.
"In Banaz's case, a number of men are now spending life in prison for their part in the murder of a girl who kissed a boy outside a tube station. And they don't care! They stand by it; they absolutely believe that they have done the right thing," said Afzal in a 2014 interview with Cosmopolitan UK.
What has Banaz Mahmod's sister said about the case?
Bekhal Mahmod has been outspoken about the pain caused by her family and the deeply ingrained patriarchy within the Iraqi Kurdish community she was once a part of, describing the so-called 'honour killing' as "the devil's work". Bekhal also wrote a memoir on her abusive upbringing, No Safe Place: Murdered By Our Father, and appeared in court (heavily disguised to protect her from those on trial) to give evidence that helped to secure convictions.
Four years before her sister's death, Bekhal fled the family home out of fear of her violent and aggressive father, only briefly returning when he threatened to murder her siblings unless she complied. According to reports, Bekhal's own brother was also once ordered to kill her, attacking her with a dumbbell – however, he couldn't see the violence through to completion. Bekhal claims that police did not act on her reporting of the incident.
These days, Bekhal lives under a new identity having gone through the police witness protection programme and is unable to speak with anyone who was a part of her old life, according to an interview she did with The Guardian ahead of her book's release.
Where is Rahmat Sulemani now?
Another tragic aspect to the story of Banaz's murder is Rahmat Sulemani, whose life was also ruined. After hounding police into taking his girlfriend's worries and initial disappearance seriously, Rahmat also bravely stood up in court to give evidence in the case. Sadly, he took his own life in 2016 – ten years after the murder of Banaz. Prior to this, he lived in witness protection, something it's thought he struggled with.
Speaking about Rahmat, DCI Goode named him a hero and said, "Without him we wouldn't have known that Banaz was even missing.[...] He risked his life to go up against his whole community and in doing so gave up everything and everyone he knew."
When reflecting on the part Rahmat played in bringing her sister's killers to justice and on their relationship, Bekhal said she hoped they were now together. "He once told me about a dream he'd had where he was at the sea and [Banaz] was halfway up to her waist and she kept reaching for him and he was reaching for her. And then she turned around and went. They couldn't be together in this life. At least they are in another."
The ITV drama, Honour, is now available to stream on Netflix
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
