Amal Jaafar
born: 1987
stabbed: 24 February 2010
Location: Bottrop
Origin: Kurds, possibly Yazidis. Victim: Lebanon; perpetrator: Iraq
Children: one daughter (at the time of the crime 4 years old)
Perpetrator: presumably her friend Stera S. (at the time of the crime 22 years old)
Amal's murder is one of the few honor killings in this archive where the perpetrator is a woman. However, there are other cases where female family members are involved in the murder plot.
Amal and Stera are friends. Amal is a Kurdish woman from Lebanon with a German passport. Stera is also Kurdish and comes from Iraq. Amal is in love with Stera's brother Ceger (or Houzan). There is talk of marriage. Stera is reportedly furious that her brother wants to marry a divorced woman with a child. Other reports speak of Amal's abortion, which Stera has made public against her friend's wishes. Possibly Stera is concerned that her brother will marry a "dishonored" woman.
Amal reportedly married forcibly at a young age. In 2008 she divorced, the marriage dissolved, there is a four-year-old daughter. The child's father now lives in Lebanon. However, at the time of the crime he is in Bottrop, which probably makes him look suspicious for a while.
Stera stabbed her friend to death on February 24, 2010. The slit throat and countless stitches indicate an honor killing. It is doubtful how a petite woman could inflict such carnage. Neighbors call the police. The victim bleeds to death. The evidence against Stera is overwhelming. However, police are also investigating possible accomplices.
After the crime, police find the victim's daughter at her grandmother's house.
In September 2010, the Essen District Court provisionally discontinues the proceedings. Stera is said to suffer from psychosis and is not fit to stand trial. At regular intervals her condition is to be reviewed. Another note: There are reports on the Internet stating that Stera and the family of Ceger/Houzan are Yazidis who are only allowed to marry each other.
In December 2010, the case is reopened and new expert reports are ordered. In February 2011, Stera is sentenced to 12 years in prison for manslaughter. Because she remains silent in court, the motive for the crime remains in the dark. Thus, it cannot be clearly established whether or not it was an honor killing. But the family circumstances may point to it.
