Honour killing story: Gönül (2007)

Gönül
Born:
Strangled: January 13, 2007
Residence: Kamen/NRW
Origin: Turkey
Children: 2 children
Perpetrator: her husband Ahmed (age 41 at the time of the crime)

Gönül and Ahmed married in 1989 in Turkey and moved to Germany in 1990. They have 2 children. Possibly many years later, Gönül falls in love with another man.

On January 13, 2007, Ahmed goes to the shared bedroom to sleep with his wife. In court he later testifies that she refused. Then he strangles her, first with his hands, later with a belt. Then he commits an offense against the corpse.

In July 2007, the trial begins at the district court in Dortmund. The husband testifies that his wife had hurt him in pride and honor and for this disgrace he took revenge. He is sentenced in August to 8 years and 9 months in prison for manslaughter.

Not much is known about the case, including the real names of the perpetrator and the victim.

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.