Honour killing story: Gamze C. (2008)

Gamze C.
born: 1984
stabbed to death: 1 October 2008
Residence: Berlin-Lankwitz
Origin: Turkey
Children: unclear
Perpetrator: Metin C., her husband or ex-husband, aged 41 at the time of the crime

On the evening of October 1, 2008, neighbors heard the screams of a young woman in an apartment building in Berlin-Lichtenrade.

Two men go to the apartment, knock on the door, the door opens and a woman collapses in front of them. The knife is still in her back. More than twenty times her husband had stabbed her.

When the neighbors realize that the perpetrator is still in the apartment, they have the presence of mind to close the door and restrain him.

The man then flees out the window. In the process, he injures himself, does not get far and is arrested. Gamze dies in the hospital.

There are various explanations as to whether the 24-year-old had previously sought protection in a women's shelter and whether she had been separated from the perpetrator for six months. Both would fit the structure of an honor killing. As does the statement from a former neighbor, "His family was against marriage. It is quite possible that they urged him to restore his honor."

In May, the judge called the crime "horrifically cruel" and imposed a sentence of seven and a half years for manslaughter.

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.