Fatal stabbing in Germany: perpetrator must serve five-year prison sentence

Dilan
born: 1992
stabbed to death: March 30, 2022
Residence: Weyhe (Lower Saxony)
Origin: Syria / possibly Kurds
Children: 2 daughters
Perpetrator: her husband Mohammad Sharif E. (48 years old)

Mohammad and his wife come to Germany from Syria via Iran. The couple split up. The wife lives with their 21-year-old daughter Havin. The name sounds Kurdish. There is another daughter living in Iran - possibly because she is married there.

On March 30, 2022, the ex shows up at the door of the family apartment in Weyhe-Leeste, Lower Saxony. Feeling sorry for him, the woman lets him in. Her real name is not known.

Mohammad stabs his wife with a kitchen knife in front of their daughter. The daughter calls emergency services, who find that the woman is dead. The man is arrested at the scene of the crime.

In September, the trial begins in Verden District Court. The daughter reports domestic violence, assault and death threats. There is an order of protection from violence, which the perpetrator previously violated. In December, the perpetrator is sentenced to 5 years in prison for manslaughter in a "minor case."

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.