Honour killing story: Meral K. (2010)

Meral K.
born 1978
shot: 27 November 2010
Residence: Rüsselsheim (near Frankfurt/M.)
Origin: probably Turkey
Children: 3 children (aged 12 and 8 at the time of the crime and an infant)
Perpetrator: her husband Seyfi (age 41)

On November 27, 2010, Seyfi, a trained industrial mechanic, runs into the street in front of his house and screams that he has killed his wife. Neighbors call the police. The perpetrator gets himself arrested.

The emergency doctor finds the mother of three, Meral, covered in blood in the apartment, but cannot save her. They say her stomach has been ripped open.

In July 2011, Seyfi is admitted indefinitely by the district court of Darmstadt to the psychiatric ward, where he had been since his arrest. So possibly in this case the motive is not honor, but delusion.

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.