Honour killing story: Elena (2019)

Elena
born: 1980
attempted murder: 22/23 April 2019
Residence: Haiterbach (near Tübingen)
Origin: Perpetrator: Serbia
Children: at least 1 daughter
Perpetrator: her husband (46 years old at the time of the crime)

Elena lives separated from her husband in Haiterbach, Baden-Württemberg. They have at least one daughter.

In the night of Easter Monday to Tuesday her divorced husband is waiting for her when she comes home late at night. He stabs her.The daughter comes to help her and calls the ambulance.

Elena undergoes emergency surgery and survives. The perpetrator is arrested in his apartment in the same place. The real names are not known.

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.