Honour killing story

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Nigina H.
born: 1997
stabbed: 27 November 2013
Residence: Bad Homburg
Origin: Afghanistan
Children: none, she was only 16 years old
Perpetrator: her father Abdul Karim H. (40 years)
Nigina was born in Kabul, her two younger siblings in Germany. Since 2000 children and parents are recognized as asylum seekers and live in Bad Homburg. Reportedly, the father was a policeman in Afghanistan. He does not work in Germany. His wife works in an old people's home.

Karim is a violent husband. His wife Seta flees with their 4-year-old son to a women's shelter. At a court hearing, the father nevertheless gets custody of the two girls (11 and 16 years old), allegedly at their request.

On 27 November Karim stabs his daughter Nigina with 40 stitches, many of them in the throat, as if it were an incision. She bleeds to death. He hides her under boxes in the cellar.

A few days later, mother and son come to visit. Apparently Nigina is at a friend's house. Because she is not coming to school, the youth welfare service calls Karim. Then he disappears, goes to the Netherlands, but comes back again. Family members discover the body in the cellar.

Few days later, Abdul Karim is arrested at a police station. He probably wanted to pretend he was drunk. There are tapes on which he admits his crime. In October 2014 the trial starts at the regional court in Frankfurt/M. The defense attorney tries in vain to prevent the confession from being played in court. In November, the perpetrator is sentenced to life imprisonment for murder.

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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