Honour killing story: Katharina (2019)

Katharina
born: 1979
Attempted murder: 3 August 2019
Residence: Düsseldorf
Origin: Perpetrator: Iran
Children: unclear
Perpetrator: her husband David D. (73 years old at the time of the crime)

Katharina and David live in the chic Oberkassel district of Düsseldorf. She is getting a divorce and is moving.

On August 3, 2019 she is back in the apartment, possible to get her things. David goes to the 33 years younger woman with a butcher knife. Katharina resists, screams for help, a neighbor overpowers the perpetrator. She comes to the hospital injured and survives.

There is nothing known about the victim. The perpetrator is a retired doctor from Iran.

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.