Honour killing story: Nazime Aydemir (2009)

Nazime Aydemir
born 1978
shot dead: 23 November 2009
Residence: Gaildorf (Schwäbisch-Hall district)
Origin: Turkey
Children: none
Perpetrator: Mehmet Celik, her husband, who lives separately
(at the time of the crime 43 years old)

Because of "several incidents" Mehmet is no longer allowed to approach his wife. The divorce date is already set. He moves out of the shared flat in Gaildorf, Baden-Württemberg, and stays in northern Germany.

A few weeks later, however, Mehmet returns to Gaildorf. On November 23, 2009, an argument breaks out in the street between him and his wife. He pulls out a gun and shoots her. She is hit by multiple bullets and is instantly dead.

Then Mehmet tries to shoot himself and ends up in the hospital badly injured. There he dies a few days later. The real first name of the perpetrator 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.