Honour killing story: Leyla (2020)

Leyla
born: 1995
stabbed to death: 23 June 2020
Residence: Hamburg
Origin: unclear
Children: at least 1 son (11 years at the time of the crime)
Perpetrator: her ex-boyfriend (27 years)

If Leyla has a son of 11 at the age of 25, she will probably have been married off by her parents at the age of 13. This could indicate that she is from Afghanistan. Everything else is just as possible, also that she misstated the age at entry.

She lives in a refugee house in Hamburg-Langenhorn. On June 23, 2020, her ex-boyfriend stabs her with a kitchen knife. Her son becomes an eyewitness to the crime. The mother dies in the hospital. The perpetrator was forbidden to approach the woman. The perpetrator wounds himself, but survives. The real names of those involved 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.