Honour killing story: Hülya (2009)

Hülya
Born: 1987
Attempted murder: July 5, 2009
Residence: Aschaffenburg
Origin: Turkey
Children: probably none
Perpetrator: her brother (18 years old at the time of the crime)

During an argument in the apartment of a Turkish family of six, an 18-year-old attacks his two sisters with a knife. The 22-year-old falls into a coma, the 21-year-old is slightly injured.

The perpetrator is the only son in the family. It seems as if the father is not strict enough with the young women or cannot assert himself. So he sees it as his job to "forbid his sisters things" (according to his testimony later in court). After the crime, he is arrested. The charges are attempted murder and aggravated assault.

Although the young Turk injured his sister in a life-threatening way, he receives only a juvenile sentence of two years' probation for this in February 2010, plus 350 hours of community service. The sentence speaks of "affective excitement" and that he "wanted to teach his sisters a lesson." The argument prior to the crime was about the sisters wanting to live more independently. The parents, on the other hand, had been teaching their daughters traditional Turkish values.

The father of the family already had to pay 40,000 euros in damages for inflicting bodily harm in another (unknown) case.

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.