Kensington Teen Hassan Razzaq Indicted On Murder Charges; More Than 1,000 People Sign Petition To Support Him

A grand jury voted today to indict 19-year-old Hassan Razzaq on murder charges after he allegedly stabbed his abusive father, Mohammad Razzaq, to death in their home on E. 3rd Street earlier this month, the Daily News reported.

Family members broke down in tears when they learned of the grand jury’s decision, the News wrote. The indictment follows a massive push from family, friends and neighbors to have the charges dropped or lessened for the young neighbor who they said sustained years of abuse from his father and who, according to his attorney, allegedly killed the elder Razzaq in order to stop a verbal and physical assault on himself and his family.

On the day the elder Razzaq was killed, he had just returned home more than a month early from a failed business trip to Pakistan, and he took his anger out on his children, Hassan’s defense attorney, Michael Cibella said last week.

The New York Post reported:

“The father came home unexpectedly,” said Cibella. “The minute he came through the door, he started assaulting my client and his sister. That’s how he says, ‘I’m back from Pakistan.’”
The 56-year-old brute allegedly pulled the girl by her hair and dragged her across the floor while telling her, “Do you want boys to have sex with you?” because she was wearing shorts he didn’t approve of, Cibella said.

Hassan and his siblings had long been abused by their father, according to Hassan’s attorney, neighbors and others.

“There’s always abuses. There’s always cops there,” a neighbor told the Daily News. “The kid’s a good kid. He was getting beat every night.”

Numerous people have thrown their support behind Hassan, including a large crowd of people showing up at the courthouse wearing shirts emblazoned with #FreeHassanRazzaq.

Additionally, more than 1,100 people have signed a Change.org petition in support of Hassan.

The petition, which calls for the teen to go free and is being sent to President Barack Obama and the New York State Senate, among other groups, states:

Hassan Razzaq, a 19-year old teenage boy, is being held at Rikers Island and is charged with 2nd degree murder. He is facing 25 years to life in prison. He is being accused of murdering his father. However, Hassan is NOT a murderer. What people may not know is that Hassan grew up in an extremely abusive environment. Over many years, he would come home every day awaiting the cruel machinations of abuse inflicted upon him by his 56-year old father, Mohammad Razzaq. By all means, he is not a perfect boy. He has flaws like everyone else. Although he seemed like a normal person on the outside, he was actually someone in dire need of help. Hassan suffered excruciating pain and abuse at the hands of his father — abuse ranging from forcing his head in the toilet, banging his head through house walls and daily barrages of his father’s fists. He would witness his sisters being subjected to similar torture and believed that things would not always be like this. But unfortunately, the father’s violence increased daily. The threats to his life and the lives of his family members frightened and dissuaded Hassan from seeking help. Who knew when his father would make good on these threats? The father was a cruel and heartless man.

The petition concludes by saying, “our justice system should not condemn him and add insult to the injury. It’s time for us as a society to help Hassan and his family, not punish them even further.”

To see the petition, you can go here.