Honour killing story

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Ahmed M.
born 1943
shot dead: 29 April 2005
Residence: Munich
Origin: Turkey
Children: perpetrator and victim are stay-at-home dads
Perpetrator: his former best friend Mustafa A., 56 years old at the time of the crime
In the mid-1980s, Ahmed lived temporarily with his then best friend Mustafa. During this time, he allegedly sexually abused his host's two underage daughters for years. He never spoke about it. It was not until 1993 that an adult daughter opened up to her father.

On April 29, 2005, Ahmed and Mustafa met at the Ismaning train station. Whether it was a coincidence or by appointment is unclear. Mustafa shoots his former friend seven times in the head, four of them in the face.

In June 2006, the perpetrator is sentenced to life imprisonment. The judges assume that Mustafa had been carrying his murder plans with him for years. The particular gravity of guilt is established.

This means: he cannot be released on parole after 15 years in prison. In his closing statement, Mustafa says: "I want to return to my homeland."

This honor killing is an unusual case because the victim is a man, moreover not a lover of a renegade woman. Moreover, if the allegations are true, one does not necessarily have to feel much sympathy for the victim. But it is equally inappropriate to have sympathy for the murderer and his motive. Mustafa does not kill because of the suffering of his daughters, but because he feels that his own honor has been tarnished.

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:

Questions about honour killings

  • 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.

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