Honour killing story: Mala (2019)

Mala
born: 1978
stabbed: June 7, 2019
Location: Bremen
Origin: Nigeria
Children: 3, she is pregnant again
Perpetrator: her ex-husband Samuel U. (42 years old at the time of the crime)

Samuel will arrive in 2013 from Nigeria via Italy to Germany. He is going back to Italy. His girlfriend is in Germany since 2012. Because they have 2 children, Samuel applies for family reunification and he is in Bremen since early 2019. He is hoping for a residence permit. The woman has another child from another relationship. A German has recognized the fatherhood of this child to give Mala a residence permit.

On June 7, 2019, Samuel cuts his girlfriend's throat with a shrubbery in the bedroom. She bleeds to death. The shrub knife has a blade of 26 cm. The Weser courier asks why anyone would have even such a large knife at home. The perpetrator calls the police and is arrested without resistance.

In November 2019 the trial will start before the Court of Bremen. In January 2020, the perpetrator will be sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for manslaughter. The real name of the victim 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.