Honour killing story

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Yalda
Born: 1992
Attempted murder: 15 March 2010
Residence: Hörstel/Münster
Origin: Syria
Children: 1 son (a few months old at the time of the crime)
Perpetrators: 2 Syrian brothers (31 and 39 years old) from Bielefeld and her stateless brother-in-law from Thuringia, all relatives of her husband
At 18, Yalda marries a man named Ibrahim in Syria. She becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son in the fall of 2009. The family lives in a home for asylum seekers in Hörstel-Riesenbeck near Münster.

It is rumored that Yalda had an affair in Syria before her marriage. The family then pressures the young husband Ibrahim to kill his wife. To add strength to the case, male relatives beat him up and turn his room upside down.

When he still does not consent, the male relatives kidnap Yalda with her husband and the infant child from the asylum seekers' home. Ibrahim manages to escape. A manhunt is launched. A few hours later, the perpetrators are apprehended in Bielefeld and the woman and her baby are freed.

In September 2010, the trial begins at the court in Münster. The three men are charged with conspiracy to commit murder, later with deprivation of liberty and inflicting grievous bodily harm. It is said that they wanted to take Yalda to Syria to kill her there. Another version of the story is also being heard in court. It is said that Yalda had an affair with her current husband in Syria and married him against her parents' wishes. It is possible that she was promised to another man. Yalda is not the woman's real name.

The defendants were sentenced to suspended sentences of between 12 and 18 months.

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:

Questions about honour killings

  • 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.

Posted in Attempted murder, Investigation and tagged , , , .