Honour killing story: Katera (2019)

Katera
born: 1999
beaten: July 15, 2019
Location: Stuttgart
Origin: Afghanistan
Children: probably not
Perpetrator: her brother Wahed E. (at the time of the crime 18 years old)

Katera was born in Germany and is studying to become a dental assistant. Her family has been living here for 23 years and she has 5 children. Yet Katera is supposed to have married under duress. She separates herself from the family. The father is a retired food trader.

On July 15, 2019, Katera's brother Wahed knocks her down with a baseball bat in the morning at a subway station in Stuttgart. He hit her head several times. Witnesses come to Katera's rescue. The brother flees.

After a short search Wahed is arrested. It is not the brother's first attack on his sister. He has a German passport and is said to have been incited by his older brother. He was probably also at the scene of the crime and is already known to the police for the violence against his sister. The younger brother is also considered a determined offender. The warrant is for attempted murder. The mother is publicly quoted and says that she cannot forbid her sons anything. Presumably she is the driving force.

The year before, Katera had been kidnapped by her family to the USA to marry a cousin unknown to her. After 3 months she manages to escape and returns to Stuttgart. But her family wants to bring her back to the USA. At the airport of Stuttgart she manages to escape again. After that Katera leaves her house.

In February 2020 the trial will start at the regional court of Stuttgart. Katera refuses to testify, like the rest of the family. Her real name is 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.