Honour killing story 2015: Susa - No Honor In Killing

Susa
born: 1987
attempted murder: 14-15 August 2015
Location: Bielefeld / Bonn
Origin: Iraq / Kurds
Children: none
Perpetrators: her brothers (37 and 44 years old)

28-year-old Susa has a boyfriend she wants to marry. He is 33 years old and probably has a daughter from his first marriage. Susa has also been divorced before. It is possible that her first marriage was a forced marriage. Her family is from Iraq.

Susa's brothers live in Bonn-Sank Augustin and in the Netherlands and do not agree with the wedding. At a sick brother in Bonn-Oberkassel the brothers meet Susa on August 14, 2015 and knock her unconscious. They threaten to kill her, because her wedding is a burden for the honour of the family.

Another older brother intervenes. Eventually he and Susa are admitted to hospital. On the same evening the brothers are arrested. It is possible that the night of the crime was the night before the planned Muslim wedding.

In October 2015, the trial for attempted murder and bodily harm at the Bonn District Court will begin. The younger brother does not make any pronouncements about the crime in court.

The judge says: "Every woman can choose the man she wants. Brothers have to accept that too. You can't react to that with violence." Nevertheless, the court ruled against the infliction of serious bodily harm. The two brothers were given suspended sentences of two and a half years. As a result, the Sister was still exposed to the danger.

Susa is not the real name of the woman.

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.