Honour killing story: Nurcan G. (2009)

Nurcan G.
born: 1987
stabbed: 9/10 June 2009
Residence: Recklinghausen
Origin: Turkey
Children: none
Perpetrator: her Turkish ex-boyfriend Serif Ö. (age 33 at the time of the crime)

Presumably in early 2009, Nurcan, who lives in Mannheim and holds a German passport, is disowned by her Turkish family and forced to have an abortion.

She flees to Recklinghausen, works in an Internet café/tea store, and falls in love with her boss Serif, who according to Islamic law is married to another woman, with whom he has at least one son (age 6). Serif, who has a criminal record for weapons and drugs, is jealous and abuses Nurcan. As a result, the 22-year-old divorces and gets a German boyfriend, Frank J. (age 38).

On June 9, 2009, the abandoned man lures Nurcan to Mc Donald's on a pretext. He claims that her family wants to reconcile with her. From there, he drags her away and stabs her in the throat (as if in a slaughter). A detective later says he has rarely seen such a badly mutilated body. Serif leaves the dying woman in the bushes along the Rhine-Herne Canal. Because blood from the perpetrator was found at the scene, he is arrested.

At the end of 2009, the trial begins before Bochum District Court. Serif remains silent on the charges. Nurcan's father Mustafa (48 years old) is a co-plaintiff.

In June 2010, 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:

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.