Honour killing story: Aysa (2019)

Aysa
born: 1988
Attempted murder: 8 September 2019
Location: Hannover
Origin: probably Turkey
Children: 2 (at that time 11 and 13 years old)
Perpetrator: her husband Ibrahim J. (33 years)

Aysa (of which the real name is not known) is 31 years old. She and her husband Ibrahim have 2 children of 11 and 13 years old. This suggests a forced marriage.

On 8 September 2019 Ibrahim stabs his wife in the shared apartment in Hannover-Vahrenwald. She escapes through the bathroom window to the courtyard. There he stabs her again. An ambulance takes the seriously injured woman to the clinic. She survives. The children witnessed the crime.

The perpetrator flees. At first he is searched for - without a name, but with an indication that there is danger of fleeing abroad. A little less than a week later he reports himself to the police. The first name Ibrahim indicates an origin from Turkey.

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.