Honour killing story: Bahar Kayhan (2019)

Bahar Kayhan
born: 1986
stabbed: July 21, 2019
Location: Lippstadt (NRW)
Origin: Turkey
Children: 1 son, 1 daughter (7 and 11 years)
Perpetrator: Lokman Ö. (34 years)

Bahar and Eyup run a grill in Lippstadt-Benninghausen. They have a son together, Bahar an older daughter from a previous marriage. In the spring of 2019 they will split up.

On July 21, 2019, Bahar will hand over the restaurant to her husband. In the morning Eyup drives to her family home and finds the body of his wife with 34 stab wounds. He calls the emergency service and claims to have found his wife dead. The police don't believe him, Eyup is arrested.

Only 6 weeks after the crime, Eyup comes out of prison. The evidence is not enough for a strong suspicion. In April 2020, an unemployed Duisburg citizen, who had already been noticed by the police, is arrested. He is an ex-boyfriend of Bahar. Bahar's daughter from his first marriage is placed in a commune, the son from his marriage to Eyup is placed with his father.

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.