Which is, in effect, a life sentence, since he is 57 years old.

An update on a story that was first discussed here in February:

http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/40726

At that time the trial was taking place.  It has concluded, and he has been found guilty, and sentenced.

As reported by the ABC, the Herald-Sun, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Australian. 

First, the ABC, Candice Marcus reporting:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-04-19/stabbing-murder-jail-convention-centre/3960096

'Wife killer jailed over frenzied public attack'.

'A man who murdered his wife in front of hundreds of people has been sentenced to at least 26 years in jail.

'The South Australian Supreme Court heard Zioalloh Abrahimzadeh stabbed his wife Zahra eight times after he turned up at a Persian New Year's festival she was attending in March 2010.

'About 300 people at the Adelaide Convention Centre watched in horror as the attack happened.

'Abrahimzadeh said he felt his wife had dishonoured him.  She had left him because of years of abuse.

'Justice John Sulan said Abrahimzadeh had been an abusive husband and father who wanted revenge because of his wife's pursuit of divorce proceedings.

'The family's three children testified against their father at trial before he changed his plea to guilty and Justice Sulan praised their testimony.

"I conclude beyond reasonable doubt that each of your children gave accurate accounts of their life with you.  They were each impressive witnesses", he said.

"Your continued denial of your behaviour demonstrates your lack of remorse.  You were prepared to have your counsel cross-examine your children to suggest that they were lying.

"You were seen to run towards Zahra.  Those who observed you gave evidence that you came from behind her to directly where she was seated, brandishing a knife which you had brought with you.  You stabbed your wife eight times, she received 8 stab wounds in total.  While you were stabbing her, she fell forward and you continued to stab her until you were restrained by other guests."

'Judge Sulan said the motive was clear.  "Your actions were premeditated and deliberate.  You had threatened to take revenge against your wife if she didn't withdraw divorce proceedings", he said.

'One daughter, Atena, said she had often watched as her mother was verbally and physically abused but had felt unable to protect her.

'the couple separated in 2009 and the daughter said all the family members had feared for their safety, knowing there was a prospect of revenge.  The family members had kept their new address secret, the court was told.

'Atena Abrahimzadeh said her mother had studied English and started regaining the confidence to go out, but then had her life cruelly cut short.

'Outside court, only son Arman was emotional as he read a statement to reporters.

'The agonising and searing pain that this coward has caused us is one that will last a lifetime," he said. "The malicious nature and character of the criminal is one thing, but the actual fact is that this murder could have been prevented.  We saw this murder coming and it could have been stopped by authorities.  Today is just another day where the system failed to protect a brave woman, a caring friend, and a loving mother...".

It is hard enough to get things done to protect women from violent partners within the non-Muslim community; harder still to make the relevant people understand that Muslim girls fleeing their families, or Muslim women leaving their husbands, are usually in mortal danger.  And to make them understand why that is the case. - CM

'He [the son] said the family had not received enough help from authorities despite having gone into hiding.

"It obviously goes back to the restraining order that was put in place, and also my father being flagged in the system and he was never questioned about the threats", he said.

'Also outside the court, the killer's brother, Masoud Abrahimzadeh, said he felt the sentence was unfair.  He claimed his brother was the victim as he had done much for his family.

'Abrahimzadeh made similar claims during his testimony, before changing his plea to guilty during his cross-examination. 

'Abrahimzadeh will be in his 80s before he can become eligible for release".

There's more on the murderer's attempts to pose as victim, plus a heaping dose of nonsense and lies, in the Sun-Herald account (reproducing Sean Fewster's report from Adelaide's 'The Advertiser':

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/true-crime-scene/wife-murderer-zialloh-abrahimzadeh-tells-his-son-he-is-also-a-victim-during-one-and-a-half-page-letter/story-fnat7dhc-1226334158772

'Wife Murderer Zialloh Abrahimzadeh tells his son he is also a victim during one-and-a-half page letter'.

'In a ranting letter to his son, murderous husband Zialloh Abrahimzadeh condemns those who "put wealth and materialism" before "integrity, principles and dignity".  Yet Abrahimzadeh did exactly that when he murdered his wife, Zahra, in front of 300 shocked witnesses.

'He was, at the time, obsessed with the belief that she had blocked the sale of their Iranian home and denied him thousands of dollars.

'Yesterday, Supreme Court judge John Sulan jailed Abrahimzadeh, 57, for at least 26 years.

'He said there was no doubt that the March 2010 crime was the deliberate act of an "autocratic" man who repeatedly abused his family.  He said the letter sent by Abrahimzadeh to his son Arman showed his lack of remorse.

"It demonstrates how you are completely self-absorbed and fail to have any regret for the misery you have caused to your family", Justice Sulan said.

'In the letter, released to The Advertiser, Abrahimzadeh tells Arman he "deplores" enemies "who laid the foundation" for the murder.

Islamic Conspiracy Thinking 101...And observe the refusal to accept responsibility; the attempt to pose as a helpless, persecuted victim.  This from a man whose actions were those of a violent bully. - CM

"I condemn those who put wealth and materialism ahead of integrity, principles and dignity", he says.

'Dignity'.  Honor?  I get the sense he's rebuking his son for siding with the despicable, rebellious females (mother and sisters) rather than assisting the father in punishing them and asserting dominance. -  CM

'He blames Zahra and her family for driving him "towards insanity" by denying him three quarters of the equity in their former Iranian home.  "How much do you think the body and mind of a human being can tolerate?" he says.

Cue the world's smallest violin.  And it's anybody's guess how much of this bears any relationship to the actual facts of the matter.  - CM
"How long can a human being live with fear and anxiety, and with no security?"

It was his family who were living in fear at an undisclosed location, not he.  It was he who stabbed his wife multiple times, not she who stabbed him.  The projection and reversal of reality on display here is quite something. - CM

'Abrahimzadeh fills 1 and 1/2 pages with details of the families possessions..."I will not allow anybody to take what is rightfully ours", he says.  

One should remember that after an Islamic divorce the wife gets pretty much nothing in the way of what modern western law calls alimony.  Zahra was divorcing her husband under Australian law, and he didn't like the prospect of her getting anything from the division of their assets. - CM

"When somebody is trying to destroy you in any possible way you would defend yourself and sometimes this defence results in the destruction of the opposing party".

So stabbing an unarmed woman in the back eight times constitutes 'self-defence'? - CM

'He closes the letter by asking Arman "as an Eastern man" to judge him fairly.

'In any case, I am really sorry about what happened", he says. 

Sorry you murdered her? Or sorry you got arrested, and tried, in a kafir court?  Note he doesn't say: "I am sorry for what I did".  He's still evading responsibility. - CM

"I think I am also a victim of what happened".

She 's the victim, Mr Abrahimzadeh. You're the murderer.  - CM

'In sentencing, Justice Sulan said Zahra's decision to divorce Abrahimzadeh also fuelled his murderous mentality.

He rejected Abrahimzadeh's claim that, at the time of the stabbing, he was hallucinating about his youngest daughter, Anita, being attacked by "dark, ugly men".

I suspect that Justice Sulan, in the course of his career, has encountered all kinds of nonsense and lies from the mouths of perps in the dock.  It's good to know that he seems to have been able to see through Abrahimzadeh's extra-specially bizarre brand of same, without any particular difficulty. - CM

"That was, in my view, fanciful...I am satisfied, beyond reasonable doubt, that your act was premeditated and deliberate", he said.  "You were motivated by the fact you had lost control of your family, in particular, your wife.  You took action because she continued to disobey your demands that she not proceed with the divorce.  I accept that you were distressed by the family situation...that may go towards explaining your conduct, but it can never excuse it."

'Justice Sulan said he had reduced the non-parole period by 12 months, because Abrahimzadeh pleaded guilty in the middle of his trial.

Methinks that the murderer was probably advised that pleading guilty might have precisely this effect, and that that was why he did it. - CM

'He also took into account incidents when Abrahimzadeh: slapped his wife and daughters on the face and shoulders; threw Zahra into a window; broke a cordless telephone aerial across Atena's throat; whipped Atena with a belt for an hour; smothered Atena with a pillow; demanded Atena beg, on her knees, for his forgiveness; burned Atena's fingers for biting her nails; verbally abused Arman; threatened to kill his entire family by burning their house down while they were inside; said he would rather kill a family member than be dishonoured by them.

'For Arman Abrahimzadeh, the pain of his mother's murder is made worse by his belief that it could have been prevented...

'Arman and his sisters, Atena and Anita, were praised in court by Justice John Sulan.  He dubbed them impressive and intelligent people who showed great courage in giving evidence against the man who destroyed their lives.  

'Arman, who has signed a Channel 7 interview deal, said police could have acted sooner on restraining orders filed by Zahra, and on their reports of the threats Abrahimzadeh made against their lives...

I would advise Channel 7 to ring up one Phyllis Chesler, New York feminist and author of several excellent hard-hitting articles on the phenomenon of 'honor' murders, and ask her to be part of the conversation with Arman Abrahimzadeh.  She would be able to impress upon their viewers exactly why people like Zahra are in even greater danger than the average western non-Muslim woman fleeing from an abusive partner. - CM

'His [Arman's] short statement was watched carefully by his father's extended family.

That sounds ominous.  I hope Arman, Anita and Atena are watching their backs.  For the murderer's family may well intend to 'avenge' their kinsman by completing the job - disposing of his rebellious children. - CM

'Abrahimzadeh's brother, Masoud, said they would support the killer "to the extreme".  He criticised the trial process which, he said, failed to listen to his brother and account for the "many sacrifices" made for the children. "This is not a question of excusing what he did or getting him out (of jail)", Masoud said. 

Suure. You don't dare go quite that far, not in Australia, not when you've just heard what Justice Sulan thinks of what your despicable, cowardly brother did to a defenceless woman.  Australia is not like Iran, or Jordan, where people like your brother get a slap on the wrist, if that, when they dispose of an insubordinate - or perceived-to-be-insubordinate - female chattel.  - CM

"This is a question of how much he should have got, in the sentence.  

So how long do you think he should have got, Masoud?  A year? Two years? Five years?  Care to go into specifics, and show us just how alien your mindset is from ours? - CM

He said Abrahimzadeh had expressed remorse and "was sorry for what happened'.  ('Sorry for what happened'.  Yeah. Not 'sorry for what he did'. - CM). His brother also wanted reporters to interview him in prison so he could tell "more of the story".  

If they do that they better read Raymond Ibrahim on taqiyya, kitman and tawriya, first.  And have their BS-detector tuned to 'high'.

And now for the Sydney Morning Herald's Liza Kappelle's briefer account.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/wife-killer-jailed-for-at-least-26-years-20120419-1x9no.html

'Wife Killer Jailed For At Least 26 Years'

'A self-absorbed and controlling man will spend more than a quarter of a century in jail for stabbing his wife to death in front of 300 people for disobeying him...

'The South Australian Supreme Court jailed Zialloh Abrahimzadeh, 57, for life with a 26 year non-parole period on Thursday.

'He pleaded guilty on day 11 of his murder trial earlier this year to killing Zahra in front of his elder daughter and other guests at a Persian function at Adelaide in March 2010.

'Before he changed his plea, Abrahimzadeh had admitted stabbing Zahra but said he didn't mean to and it wasn't his fault.

'His first attempt at the guilty plea was along the same lines.

'But eventually he made one acceptable to the court, saying he was sorry for what happened and he was pleading guilty.

Hmm. I'd like to know precisely what he said.  Because I very much doubt he actually ever said anything like, 'I did it and it was wrong and I'm sorry'. - CM

'Justice Sulan said on Thursday that Abrahimzadeh had written to his children after the murder - blaming their mother and her family for all his troubles...

'Justice Sulan said the migrant resource centre worker had projected a double life.  He was a violent bully at home and a respected, caring man in the migrant community.

Or he was said to be a respected, caring man.  This is like all those cases where somebody is caught plotting murderous jihad and a whole bunch of people pipe up to say what a nice, quiet, pious person he was and how they're so totally shocked, shocked!!.  I'd like to know who were the character witnesses for this man's conduct in the workplace. - CM

'His children testified to suffering years of domestic violence at his hands.  They said they moved out in secret after he threatened Zahra with a knife, and [they] had filed restraining orders.

'Justice Sulan said Abrahimzadeh was obsessed with the belief that his wife's family were trying to block the sale of a property in Iran that might have eased his financial woes.

'He said Abrahimzadeh had killed his wife after threatening to do so if she didn't stop family court proceedings...'

He threatened her with death and then expected her to not divorce him? - CM

The rest of the SMH account covers material already presented in the other reports. 

And so now to The Australian, reproducing Sean Fewster's report in 'Adelaide Now'.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news-old/zialloh-abrahimzadeh-jailed-for-26-years-for-stabbing-wife-zahra-to-death-at-convention-centre/story-fn3dxity-1226333110261

From that report I will reproduce the account of the daughter Atena's testimony.

'Atena told the court she witnessed her mother's murder.  "He was just calm...there was no shame, no anger", she said.  "I was screaming, 'you killed her', and holding onto his jacket because I wanted to make sure he was caught.  But he was not even trying to get away".

This is not unusual.  A number of reports of 'honor' murderers that I have read have spoken of the calmness of the killers after they have finished. - CM

'Abrahimzadeh, who pleaded not guilty, gave evidence in his defence.  He spoke to the court in Farsi - translated by an interpreter - and insisted his wife was the source of their marital problems.

He came to Australia in 1997 - 15 years ago - and still needs an interpreter?  As for his wife being the source of their 'marital problems'...this is just bog-standard 'blame the victim' procedure, typical of both non-Muslim domestic abusers and of Muslims making excuses for violence and murder. - CM

'Abrahimzadeh fought back tears (sure he did - crocodile tears - CM) as he described how the couple's relationship faltered when they moved their family to Australia from Iran.

Ah yes, more blame-shifting: first he blamed his wife, now he blames the Infidels. -  CM

"After (my family) became independent, they became Australian citizens, and they were collecting Centrelink money, my wife changed", he said.

"She used to promise to do things and she never did...other people influenced her (observe the conspiracy thinking and, again, blame-shifting - CM) and she would break her promises.  She was involved with a few bad women and I really didn't like that she was involved with them".

I wonder...was she making friends with Infidel Australian women? This may, of course, be plain old projection, given what comes next. - CM

"He denied having an affair, insisting that the woman named by his children was just "a very good friend".

Suuuure. - CM

'Though Abrahimzadeh denied murdering his wife he admitted stabbing her - but said he was hallucinating at the time.

'He said he believed he saw his youngest daughter, Anita, being hurt by "dark, ugly  men".  "I reached the dark men, they reached me and we were all fighting together", he said.

Nonsense and lies, straight out of the 'Arabian Nights'.  He forgot, when he spun this little yarn, that the jury and judge knew about the Iranian passport and immigration papers he had ready in his car, all ready to flit, and the fact that he had sneaked the knife into the venue carefully concealed inside a rolled up newspaper..- CM

"...then someone grabbed my wrist...and said, 'you've killed, you've killed...It was (my eldest daughter) Atena.  I could not believe what I did.. I would never hurt anything, even an ant".

Suuure.  This is the man whose daughter testified that he beat her for an hour with a belt. - CM

'On March 2, however, Abrahmizadeh changed his story.

'In the middle of cross-examination, he pleaded guilty - in English - to murdering Zahra.  "For what happened - I felt sorry, and I plead guilty", he said.

'Outside the court the next day, Arman said the plea was shocking, but not an acceptance of responsibility.

"My father is a stubborn man who will stick to his pleas and his ways...we did not see this coming", Arman said.  "But he did not really take responsibility...the way he worded (his plea), he was saying he was sorry for what happened but he was not sorry for his actions. Those are two different statements...It's about time he took responsibility for his actions".

Pay attention to that, all you reporters who have to do with Muslims in tight corners.  Arman Abrahimzadeh, this westernised young man who defied custom by siding with his rebellious mother rather than with his violent bullying father, and who was prepared to invoke kafir law to obtain western justice for that murdered mother, has just shown you how you need to 'close read' everything that is said, if you do not intend to be deceived by taqiyya and kitman and tawriya and all the other varieties of falsehood, deceit and misdirection that people in Islamic societies learn to do as naturally as breathing.   Look for what is said...and for what is not said.  Think very, very carefully about precisely what a statement means, and what it does not.  Think about the meanings of words. - CM