The Murder of Ihsane Jarfi

Disappearance and discovery

Ihsane Jarfi was a 32-year-old Belgian man from the Liège area. He disappeared on April 22, 2012, after leaving the Open Bar in central Liège in a vehicle with four men. Family, friends and volunteers searched for him in the days that followed.

His body was found on May 1, 2012, in a field near Tinlot. The violence against him was severe, but graphic forensic detail is not necessary to understand the crime or the later court findings and is not reproduced here.

Investigation and charges

Investigators identified and arrested four men. The prosecution alleged that Ihsane had been targeted and violently abused because he was gay. The case became nationally significant because Belgian authorities and, later, the court treated homophobia as an aggravating circumstance in the homicide.

The Liège assize trial

In December 2014, a Liège assize jury convicted Éric Parmentier, Jérémy Wintgens and Mutlu Kizilaslan of assassination, with homophobia retained as an aggravating circumstance. Jonathan Lekeu was convicted of murder with the same aggravating circumstance; the jury did not find premeditation proved for him.

On December 23, 2014, Parmentier, Wintgens and Kizilaslan were sentenced to life imprisonment. Lekeu received a 30-year prison sentence. The defendants were also found guilty of offences connected with the unlawful detention and degrading treatment of Ihsane.

Cassation

Three of the men sentenced to life challenged their convictions before Belgium's Court of Cassation. On June 17, 2015, the court rejected those appeals, leaving the assize judgments and sentences in place.

Legacy and current status

This case is Solved / Adjudicated. The four men were convicted and sentenced, and the cassation challenges brought by the three life-sentenced defendants failed. Ihsane's father, Hassan Jarfi, later helped create a foundation bearing his son's name to combat discrimination and violence, especially homophobia.