Honour killing story: Sinem D. (2020)

Sinem D.
born: 1991
Attempted murder: 26 October 2020
Residence: Dülmen / Hamm (NRW)
Origin: Turkey
Children: probably not
Perpetrator: her ex-boyfriend Tercan M. (29 years old at the time of the crime)

Sinem is a hairdresser in Dülmen (near Münster) and will meet Tercan from Hamm in the spring of 2020. He spent 4 years in prison until March because of a series of thefts.

When Sinem finds out, she breaks up after a relationship of a few weeks. He doesn't want to accept this and starts stalking her. There are at least 5 declarations.

On October 26th, Tercan lies at her front door waiting for his ex-girlfriend and stabs her with a knife 14 times. Sinem's mother is there and is slightly injured. Sinem is taken to a special clinic, undergoes emergency surgery and survives. Tercan flees and is searched for with a warrant.

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.