Honour killing

Honour killing story: Tania Zakeri (2010)

Honour killing story

Tania Zakeri
born: 1991
stabbed: 29 March 2010
Residence: Darmstadt
Origin: Afghanistan
Children: none
Perpetrator: her husband (aged 24 at the time of the crime)
The Zakeri family emigrated to Germany from Afghanistan in the 1980s and lived in Darmstadt. They have 3 children and are well integrated. The older sisters are named Nadia and Tania. Both are studying to become pharmaceutical commercial assistants.

Although Tania leads a relatively normal life, she is married off in her native Afghanistan at the age of 19. The husband - called Ali here - comes to Germany. Domestic violence follows. Tania reports her husband for assault and files for divorce. But she withdraws them both.

On March 29, 2010, Ali stabs his wife with a butcher knife in their shared apartment. She drags herself to the door of the apartment, badly injured, and collapses there. Neighbors alert the police. But the emergency doctor can only determine the young woman's death. Soon after, the perpetrator turns himself in to the police. He claims that his wife had insisted that he help with the household. Moreover, she had insulted his parents.

In November 2010, the perpetrator is sentenced by the Darmstadt District Court to ten years in 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.

Ralph Geissen

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