Family of pregnant lawyer killed in Edinburgh honour-based killing speaks out as husband is jailed

A man was convicted of murder for pushing his wife, Fawziyah Javed, off Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh in September 2021. Kashif Anwar, then 31, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years after a jury found him guilty of murdering his wife and their unborn child, who was 17 weeks along. The case drew national attention to honour-based violence and the dangers faced by women who seek to leave abusive marriages. Fawziyah, a bright, ambitious lawyer, had moved to Leeds with her husband after their wedding in 2020 and had planned to start a new chapter after they returned from a trip to Edinburgh. The couple had booked the ceremony for December 2020, but the relationship deteriorated as Anwar exerted control over her life and finances. The night of the murder, Fawziyah texted her mother that she was heading out for a walk, a moment that would become a critical piece of evidence when she later told witnesses and police that her husband was responsible for the fall.

The discovery of Fawziyah and the unborn child in the 50‑ft drop at Arthur's Seat unfolded within hours of her death. Barely conscious, she used her final moments on earth to identify her husband as her killer to witnesses and to the first responders who arrived at the scene. Her mother Yasmin Javed recalls the moment the family learned of the tragedy: two plain-clothed female officers arrived at their Leeds home at 5 am, delivering the devastating news that would devastate two families. The case would later hinge on the testimony Fawziyah left behind in her records, and on the brutal pattern of coercive control that had escalated over months as Anwar sought to limit her autonomy. The court heard how, in the months before her death, Fawziyah had spoken publicly through signs of fear and resilience, documenting abuse and seeking help while also planning an eventual exit from the marriage.

The case also underscored gaps in how authorities responded to domestic abuse. Fawziyah had twice reported violent and controlling behavior by Anwar to the police, yet officers told her she was only medium risk and did not communicate that she had been upgraded to high risk a week after her latest report. Yasmin says if the higher risk status had been conveyed, her daughter might have left Anwar immediately after those reports. The Independent Office for Police Conduct opened an investigation into the West Yorkshire Police’s handling of the case, while a domestic homicide review by the Safer Leeds partnership seeks to identify lessons for safeguarding victims of domestic abuse. The police statement expressed sympathy for the Javeds and noted the ongoing review was meant to improve how agencies protect vulnerable women and girls.

The tragedy exposed a wider truth about honour-based violence, which many see as a hidden epidemic. Yasmin, who stands with the AMINA Muslim Women’s Resource Centre in public vigils and advocacy, stresses that there is no single profile of a victim. Fawziyah was educated, financially independent, and had a future in law; she was also a target of coercive control because Anwar perceived her independence as a threat. She was 17 weeks pregnant when she died, and her death was a double tragedy: the loss of her life and the life of the child she carried. Yasmin describes the grief as a life sentence without parole, a sentiment echoed in her belief that the violence she and her husband faced will leave long-lasting scars that never fully heal.

The court found that Anwar had repeatedly harmed Fawziyah and had attempted to exert control by isolating her from social media and from family members, including transferring tens of thousands of pounds from her account to his. Witnesses testified to a pattern of verbal abuse, including confrontational calls in which Anwar disparaged her independence and used demeaning language about being a British woman. There were also alarming episodes in which he assaulted Fawziyah in a hospital setting during her pregnancy and forcibly dragged her into a car. In one instance, after pushing her from the cliff, Anwar phoned his father rather than dialing emergency services, and asked those nearby whether she was alive as terrified walkers watched. The jury ultimately concluded that Fawziyah had been murdered by her husband and that the unborn child was killed as a result of the same act of violence.

The aftermath has left the Javeds with a stark sense of loss. Yasmin says the pain and daily reminders of what cannot be undone have driven her away from her clerical job at times, and the family has lived with a wound that deepens with each passing year. Anwar was sentenced to life with a minimum 20-year term, a verdict that some describe as justice of a sort for two lives lost. Yet Yasmin emphasizes that no amount of punishment can restore what was taken from them. She also notes the broader policy implications of the case, including the government pledge to halve violence against women and girls and to introduce a new legal definition of honour-based abuse along with guidelines intended to improve police and social worker responses to victims. The pledge signals an attempt to close gaps that left Fawziyah vulnerable despite her courage and determination to leave an abusive relationship.

In the years since Fawziyah’s death, the conversation about honour-based abuse has intensified. Police data show 2,755 offences related to honour-based abuse were recorded in England and Wales in the year ending 2024, though authorities acknowledge the true figure is likely higher due to underreporting and inconsistent definitions. The Javeds hope that heightened awareness and more robust protections will prevent other families from experiencing a similar loss. Yasmin has received messages from people facing similar abuse and sees in their stories a shared call for action. She hopes that public attention and policy reform will illuminate the realities of honour-based violence and move resources toward prevention, protection, and effective support for victims.

The court process in 2023, delayed by the pandemic, brought the family face to face with the man who ended their daughter’s life and exposed the full extent of his controlling behavior. The trial revealed that Anwar had minimized his actions, attempted to shift blame, and continued to exert control even as the couple’s marriage deteriorated. The jury’s verdict and the subsequent sentencing have provided a sense of closure in a case marked by fear and enduring grief, but Yasmin makes clear that closure does not equal healing. The Javeds and many others who are affected by honour-based violence remain committed to advocating for systemic changes so that vulnerable women are protected, heard, and supported as they navigate dangerous, coercive situations.

The tragedy of Fawziyah Javed is a stark reminder that violence against women can be intimate, deeply hidden, and deadly. As policymakers consider a revised framework for honour-based abuse and as the Safer Leeds partnership conducts its review, the Javeds and advocates across the country continue to call for swift, practical reforms. They emphasize that the fight against this form of violence must be ongoing, comprehensive, and grounded in the lived experiences of survivors and their families. For Yasmin and her husband, the fight is personal, but the aim is communal: to spare other families from the pain of losing a daughter, a sister, and an unborn grandchild to violence that society must confront, name, and address.