Honour killing story: Ömer Y. (2007)

Ömer Y.
born 1989
stabbed: 11 March 2007
Residence: Berlin-Neukölln
Origin: Turkey
Children: none
Perpetrator: Hakan T. (17 years old at the time of the crime)

Ömer is doing an internship as an auto mechanic and is in love with the vocational student Rabiya (17 years old). She meets her ex-boyfriend Hakan, whom she knows from school, early in the morning on March 11, 2007 - supposedly for a talk. Then the young woman calls in her new boyfriend Ömer. At 6 a.m., ex-boyfriend Hakan stabs new friend Ömer 9 times. He bleeds to death.

Hakan flees in a cab, a manhunt is opened for him. He is not caught until June 21, more than 10 weeks after the crime, possibly indicating cooperation from his family. The motive for the crime is given as "wounded honor."

Hakan is known to the police for minor offenses and is considered a "stress maker." Ömer, on the other hand, was considered integrated and solid. In October 2007, Hakan was sentenced to 6.5 years in juvenile 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.