Honour killing story: Sehmuz A. (2019)

Sehmuz A.
born: 1990
Attempted murder: July 8, 2019
Residence: Berlin-Reinickendorf
Origin: Turkey
Children: no
Perpetrator: Ibrahim Y. (20 years old at the time of the crime), brother of his girlfriend

Betül is 23 years old and together with the 6 year older Sehmuz. On July 8, 2019, the boyfriend visits her family's apartment, but they don't approve of the relationship. Both families are enemies. Betül's family has chosen another man for her (Berlin in 2019).

The couple assumes that none of the family will be home before 8.30 pm. They probably do what young people do when they are in love.

Brother Ibrahim, however, comes home earlier. He finds his sister lightly dressed - and without a headscarf. The lover hides in the closet. The brother yells "I'll kill you", after which the lover rushes out of the closet to help his girlfriend. The brother stabs him a dozen times, some cuts are 20 cm deep. Sehmutz flees, comes to the hospital later, undergoes emergency surgery and survives.

The police first arrest Betül for claiming to have stabbed him. Because brother Ibrahim has a criminal record and is still on probation.

In December 2019 the trial on attempted murder will start for the Landgericht of Berlin. The motive is hurt family honour. The victim tries to trivialize the case. This is not unusual for crimes of honour in court: kneeling, kissing in front of the father-in-law, the family is happy today with the couple's love affair. They were married according to the Islamic rite.

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.