Honour killing story: Julia (2019)

Julia
born: 1986
stabbed: January 26, 2019
Residence: Arnsberg / Sauerland
Origin: Perpetrator: Kazakhstan
Children: unclear
Perpetrator: her ex-boyfriend (32 or 42 years old at the time)

On January 26, 2019, a Kazakh guy breaks into his ex-girlfriend's apartment in Arnsberg. He stabs her. Neighbors call the ambulance service. Julia comes to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and undergoes emergency surgery. At the time of the crime, he is forbidden to contact her.

The perpetrator had already been convicted 11 times and was still at large. In July, an Arnsberg jury court sentenced him to 3 years and 3 months imprisonment for aggravated assault. Name and nationality of the victim are not known.

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.