Honour killing story: Hümeyra (2013)

Hümeyra
born: 1983
Shot dead: 25 November 2013
Residence: Cologne
Origin: Turkey
Children: 2 (1 and 5 years)
Perpetrator: her husband (33 years)

Hümeyra's marriage was in crisis, possibly due to her husband's extreme jealousy. There were talks of a potential divorce. She was a housewife, while her husband worked as a mechanic.

On 25 November 2013, Hümeyra was killed by a gunshot to the head. Her body was placed among the stones along the Rhine in Cologne's Niehl district. At the time of the crime, the children were with their aunt. They were later taken to Turkey by their father.

The next day, a captain saw the body from the water and called the police. Since family members had reported Hümeyra missing, she was quickly identified.

Her husband was wanted under an international arrest warrant. A few days later, he returned to Germany without the children and was arrested upon arrival at Cologne/Bonn Airport. It is unclear whether he could have been arrested in Turkey, intended to turn himself in, or was able to leave Turkey without issues despite the international arrest warrant.

In July 2014, the trial began at the Cologne Regional Court. In August, the verdict was pronounced: 10 years for manslaughter. The court stated that there was no motive for a murder conviction. The children remained with family in Turkey.

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.