Honour killing story: Fatma (2010)

Fatma
Born: 1963
Attempted murder: March 2010
Residence: Frankfurt/M.
Origin: Turkey
Children: unclear
Perpetrator: her husband Ramaszan (aged 55 at the time of the crime, has been living in Germany for 40 years)

Ramaszan comes to Germany in 1972 and to Frankfurt in 1984. He works as a baggage handler. In 2002 he married Fatma, who is eight years younger. It is his second marriage; his first wife had committed suicide. Fatma is a dialysis patient.

Ramaszan abuses his wife, so that the court evicts him from the marital home in December 2009. Then he starts stalking his wife. He chases her and spends the night in a car outside her apartment. At one point, he beats up a bystander because he happens to be standing next to her at a subway stop.

In March 2010, Ramaszan tries to beat his wife to death with a bag of rocks outside her door. In the process, he seriously injures her. In October, he appears before the Frankfurt Regional Court for attempted murder.

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.