Honour killing story

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Moujumba B.
born: 1979
stabbed to death: 3 November 2013
Residence: Cologne-Dünnwald
Provenance: Victim: Kenya; Perpetrator: Tanzania
Children: 7
Perpetrator: her husband Rama (or Rajabu, 40 years)
You can read this murder as an honour killing. You can also read it as a revenge story, one witness mentions as a possibility even a voodoo murder.

Story one: Moujumba is 34 years old and has 7 children of different men. At the time of the crime, the 4 girls and 3 boys are between a month and a half and 17 years old. The youngest three children are from Rama.

Since a few years the couple lives with the children in an apartment in Cologne-Dünnwald. Moujumba came in 2008 from Kenya to Germany with her ex-husband and 4 children. In 2010 they broke up. Rama comes from Tanzania, has a residence permit in Germany and lives on welfare. He also has 4 children. There is nothing known about domestic violence up to the crime.

Late in the evening of November 3, 2013, a noisy quarrel breaks out. A neighbour enters the hallway. He is met by the victim's 10-year-old daughter with her 6-week-old sister in her arms. The neighbor finds the mother covered in blood in the bedroom of her apartment. He brings all the children to his apartment and calls the police. Security guards from the area overpower the perpetrator.

After the crime, the neighbour reported that Rama had washed his hands and was completely calm. Without resistance he was arrested. The emergency doctor can no longer help Moujumba. Five out of seven children witnessed the crime.

Was this now an honour killing? There are an excessive number of stitches, namely 50, and they are mainly aimed at the throat, as in the case of a slaughter. In court, the soft parts of the throat are almost completely removed. It's also said that the man took on the weaker role in the relationship. Under certain circumstances he still wanted to assert his claim to power by force. The fact that the act was staged for the children may be an indication of this. Especially because the neighbours reported that the victim wanted a divorce. But it can also be the desperate act of a drunkard against his wife, who is also violent.

The trial will start in August 2014 at the Court of Cologne. In September, Rama (or Rajabu) is sentenced to 9 years imprisonment for manslaughter.

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:

Questions about honour killings

  • 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.

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