Honour killing story: Gzime / Gesime I. (2013)

Gzime / Gesime I.
born: 1976
stabbed to death: 9 July 2013
Residence: Hamburg
Origin: Macedonia
Children: 3 (14-17 years)
Perpetrator: her ex-husband Avdi (40 years)

Avdi and Gzime are from Macedonia. Gzime runs a cleaning company, where her husband works part-time. They have three teenage children.

There is quarrel and violence. Gzime is asking for a divorce. For the time being, Avdi stays in the family home and moves in the spring of 2013. But the two will continue to work together. On 9 July 2013 they will clean an office building at Hamburg Central Station. At the moment the children are on holiday with family in Macedonia.

While Gzime is cleaning the office kitchen, her ex-husband stabs her with a kitchen knife. A witness escapes from the house and warns the police, who can arrest the perpetrator. Despite an emergency operation, Gzime dies the next morning.

The process will start in January 2014. Initially, the suspect will remain silent. They say that Gzime has been threatened by her ex-husband for a long time.

In December the perpetrator is sentenced to 9 years and 6 months imprisonment for 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.