Kosovar Man Burns Wife Alive After Early Release in Belgium
1st August 2025
On July 3rd, a Kosovar Muslim man, identified as Mirsad H., set his wife, Dula K., on fire in the Belgian village of Houthalen-Helchteren after being released from incarceration months early due to prison overcrowding. The attack happened in front of the couple’s five children, one of whom tried to extinguish the flames while waiting for help to arrive. The woman is now in a medically induced coma, fighting for her life, with her chances of survival minimal according to the doctors treating her.
Mirsad H. was previously known to the police, having amassed a considerable rap sheet including illegal possession of a weapon and receiving stolen goods. Before the horrific attack on his wife, he had been serving a 37-month prison sentence for domestic violence.
Despite his ample criminal record and propensity for violence against his wife, the man was granted conditional release by the Hasselt prison administration, based on an “emergency measure” implemented by former Belgian justice minister Paul Van Tigchelt to tackle overcrowding in the prison system. Current justice minister Annelies Verlinden has since called the measure illegal and vowed to end it.
The man is now facing charges of attempted murder and is expected to be tried before the Assize Court.