Honour killing story: Natalie (2009)

Natalie
born: 1984
Strangled: 22/23 November 2009
Residence: Rosenheim (near Munich)
Origin: perpetrator: Tunisia
Children: none
Perpetrator: her partner (21 years old at the time of the crime)

Natalie is a secretary and meets a Tunisian in a disco in early 2007. They go to live together in Rosenheim. It is said about the Tunisian that he was born in Munich, while another says he speaks only broken German. He has no education and does not work.

A friend of Natalie's probably also warns her at times about possible dangers of the relationship. Natalie responds with "He would never kill me".

On the night of November 23, 2009, the Tunisian calls Natalie's father and brother and says his girlfriend is lying dead in the bathtub. The two inform the police.

The officers later arrest the victim's partner.

In court, the Tunisian initially claimed that Natalie had put the shower hose around her own neck in the bathtub. Then he obeyed an inner voice and strangled her. Then he claims he killed Natalie on demand. But it was probably like this: Natalie had a birthday and was receiving congratulations by text message. She got into an argument with her partner, who witnesses say was overly jealous. After she evicted him from the apartment, he came back and strangled her.

In September 2010, the Tunisian was sentenced by the Traunstein District Court to 13 years in prison 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:

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.