Honour killing story: Müslime(2012)

Müslime
born: 1990
strangled: May 16, 2012
Residence: Dörpen (Emsland)
Origin: Turkey / Kurds
Children: 1 son (3 years)
Perpetrator: her husband Hamza D. (29 years old) and - presumably - her father Mehmet D. (70 years old)

Müslime is forced by her strict Sunni family to marry a cousin in Turkey and has a child at the age of 19. She lives in Germany. Where Hamza lives is unclear. The marriage is violent. Twice she flees to a women's shelter. Possibly they break up and Hamza goes back to Turkey. Müslime falls in love with another man (a married Alevite).

So her husband and her father decide to kill her. On 16 May 2012 Hamza strangled his wife in her brother's apartment in Dörpen. Her father is present to check on the crime. Whether the three year old son will witness the crime is unclear at first. Later it is said that the child has been living with his grandmother for some time.

After the crime, Hamza informs a family member. He probably calls the police. Hamza is arrested shortly after at Dörpen station. He claims he strangled his wife, but didn't kill her. He had come to Germany to convince his wife to rejoin the family. Before the crime, he had been in Germany illegally for several months.

In November 2012 the trial will start at the Court of Osnabrück. In the run-up to the trial, threats will be made to the police and the judiciary. The two suspects will remain silent.

In May 2013, the victim's father will be released because his involvement in the crime may not have been proven. In June he will be acquitted. The perpetrator is sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for manslaughter. However, he stays illegally in Germany. He can hope to be deported to Turkey and released there. An appeal to the Federal Supreme Court will be granted in April 2014. In May, the Federal Supreme Court confirms the verdict.

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.