Honour killing story

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Karima and Ahmad
Born: 1956 (or 1953) and 1971
Shot: November 24, 2009
Residence: Frankfurt/M.
Origin: Morocco
Children: 4, including 1 son (age 38 at the time of the crime), who was also shot
Perpetrator: her husband Abdulah (at the time of the crime 67 years old)
At the age of 14, Karima is married off in Morocco to Abdulah, who is more than 10 years older. Initially only the husband lives in Germany, after the birth of their 4 children the wife also comes to Frankfurt-Riederwald. Next door to her later one of her sons lives with his family.

In his workplace Abdulah is seen as a model foreigner. At home he leads a despotic regime with physical violence.

On November 24, 2009, police receive two emergency calls, one from the perpetrator and one from neighbors. Officers find two bodies in two adjacent homes: that of the 38-year-old son and that of the 53-year-old woman. The 67-year-old Moroccan man is arrested.

The pensioner confesses to the crime, citing ongoing difficulties in the family.

In court, it is said that the perpetrator had kept his wife as a serf. She was not even allowed to leave the house alone. He beat her and the children for trifles. When she wanted to divorce and move in with her eldest son for persistent abuse, he had killed her. Since the son had previously tried to help his mother by bringing in a lawyer and the Moroccan consulate, he too is shot dead.

The names have been changed by the newspaper Bild.

In December 2010, the perpetrator is sentenced to life imprisonment by the Frankfurt court for double murder.

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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