Villagers rescue young woman who was attacked by her brother for sending nude photos and previously refusing to wear a headscarf

Young anonymous woman
Born: ?
Attempted murder: December 12, 2021
Residence: Weerselo, Netherlands
Origin: probably Turkey
Children: none
Perpetrator: her brother

In the night of Saturday to Sunday, December 12, 2021, around 00:30, the neighborhood around the Kardinaal Alferinkstraat in Weerselo was startled by screams in the street. A young man threw himself at a young woman and shouted that he would kill her.

Brave villagers prevented a dark black scenario and overpowered the young man and kept him under control until police arrived and arrested him. The woman ended up with a stab wound to her upper arm. The police complimented the villagers on their brave successful action.

According to the family, the incident involved an escalated argument between brother and sister because he had discovered that she was sending nude photos of herself on her mobile phone. The brother was also angry because she refused to wear a headscarf. According to the family, the young woman's behavior violates religious rules.

According to the family, the victim is doing relatively well.

The police do not want to give more information because of privacy reasons, for example, the police do not want to give the ages of both.

If there are indications of honor-related violence, the Dutch police ask for support from the honor-related violence experts of the National Expertise Center on Honor-Related Violence (LEC EGG). The LEC EGG in turn advises officers to contact the local mosque if Islam plays a role in the violent crime.

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.