Honour killing story: Walentyna K. (2007)

Walentyna K.
Born: 1984
Attempted murder: 7 March 2007
Location: Berlin
Origin: Victim: Ukraine; Perpetrator: presumably Turkey
Children: 3
Perpetrator: her ex-husband Ahmed G. (51 years old at the time of the crime)

Walentyna is a teacher from Ukraine, has a 4-year-old daughter with her husband Ahmed and divorced him in 2013. He does not want to accept this and starts stalking her. Later she marries Greek cook Konstantinos (48 years old).

Walentyna has 2 other children, probably from a previous relationship (unclear).

Although Walentyna knows that Ahmed was also violent towards his ex-wife, she meets him for coffee in Berlin-Friedrichshain on March 7, 2015. She tells him to leave her alone. Then he cuts her throat on the public road. Walentyna falls to the ground and Ahmed kicks her head.

Passengers call the police. The victim undergoes emergency surgery and survives. The perpetrator is arrested.

In August 2007, the trial at the Berlin Criminal Court begins. The outcome is unknown.

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.