Honour killing story

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Jessica Awara
born: 1977
stabbed: 25 July 2010
Residence: Schermbeck (NRW)
Origin: Victim: Cameroon; Offender: Guinea (Africa)
Children: none
Perpetrator: her ex-boyfriend Mustafa (age not clearly stated)
Mustafa is a rejected asylum seeker. He has been with Jessica, a Cameroonian woman, since 2009. He hides in her apartment and basement to avoid deportation to Switzerland.

On July 25, 2010, he stabbed Jessica 4 times in the neck. The reason for the crime is shrouded in mists. Since Jessica has male acquaintances, a motive of jealousy and a claim to power is obvious. The " slaughter " may indicate an honor killing. Mustafa wipes the murder weapon and stores it in the cutlery drawer. When the television is left on in her apartment for three days, the neighbors call the police. Agents break into the apartment and find the body.

After the crime, Mustafa flees to Norway and is arrested there in September 2010. He gives his age as 16 (presumably because he hopes to be convicted under juvenile law). A medical report states that he is at least 26 years old, but possibly older than 30. Since he was in a relationship with the 33-year-old victim, an age above 30 seems obvious.

In January 2012, he was sentenced by the district court of Duisburg to 11 years and 6 months in prison for manslaughter. Until the end, he denies the crime. But the evidence is overwhelming. The only statement he makes is that he is a Muslim.

One newspaper states that the name Mustafa is not the real name of the perpetrator. Should the never clarified motive for the crime lie rather in a dispute over deportation and hiding, this would not be an honor killing.

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:

Questions about honour killings

  • 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.

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