Honour killing story: Nihal A. (2001)

Nihal A.
Born: 1967
shot dead: 24 December 2001
Residence: Cologne
Origin: Turkey
Children: one daughter, Sülaal, age 6 at the time of the crime
Perpetrator: husband Ismail (age 37)

Nihal's case is hardly documented. She is probably an import bride who had to quit her job in Turkey in 1982 to go to Germany for marriage under duress. Her husband Ismail deals in satellite equipment.

In 2000, she divorces him and (after allegations of abuse) gains custody of their daughter. On Christmas Eve 2001, she is looking at the accounts of the bakery branch she runs. Ismail storms into the room and shoots his wife six times. She bleeds to death in the hospital.

For manslaughter, the killer is sentenced to 14 years in prison. The court rejects the prosecutor's request for a murder conviction because he had repeatedly threatened to kill his wife. Thus, the wife had not been unsuspecting.

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.