Honour killing story: Kardelen (2008)

Kardelen
born: 1969
stabbed to death: 22 October 2008
Residence: Bad Nauheim / Wetterau
Origin: Turkey
Children: 3 daughters
Perpetrator: her husband (at the time of the crime 45 years old)

Supposedly Kardelen had 3 daughters at a very young age. In October 2008, she is 39 years old and the daughters are adults. She is getting a divorce from her husband. It is not impossible that she waited until the youngest daughter is "grown up".

The father does not want to accept the divorce and stabs Kardelen to death with a bread knife and 5 stabs on October 28 in the morning. He buries the body in a garden in Friedberg-Dorheim. A few days later, he shows the police the place.

In May 2009, the trial begins at the district court of Giessen. In the same month, the perpetrator is sentenced to 9.5 years in prison for manslaughter. The real name of the victim is unknown.

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.