Honour killing story: Selma (2010)

Selma
Born: 1963
shot: 15 January 2010
Residence: Wuppertal-Elberfeld
Origin: Turkey
Children: 1 daughter (11 years old at the time of the crime)
Perpetrator: her divorced husband Yusuf C. (at the time of the crime 42 years old)

When the trial against Yusuf C. begins in August 2010 before the district court of Wuppertal, witnesses describe the father of the family as often aggressive. His wife therefore divorced him in October 2009.

He does not want to accept this. During a visit to their new apartment, Yusuf pulls out a gun and shoots his wife several times in the head. It is said that he also points the gun at himself (which is quite unusual for an honor killing). After the crime, however, he calls his brother-in-law and tells him that he shot his wife.

The daughter is in school at the time of the crime and is then placed with relatives.
For manslaughter, Yusuf is sentenced to 9 years in prison. The real name of the victim is not known.

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.