Husband allegedly stabbed his wife out of jealousy in Cologne-Nippes

Esma
born: 1986
stabbed to death: 18 April 2022
Residence: Cologne
Origin: Syria
Children: 1 son, 1 daughter (4 and 5 years old at the time of the crime)
Perpetrator: her husband (41 years old)

Esma and her husband came to Germany from Syria in 2016. Esma has 2 children.

On Easter Monday 2022, the husband stabs her to death in her apartment in Cologne-Nippes in the afternoon. He calls the police, the officers find the body and arrest the man in front of the house. The children are placed in the care of the child welfare agency.

It was later said that the woman had preferred a more Western lifestyle. Presumably this is the motive. There is also talk of honor. The real names are 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.