Honour killing story: Aynur Özdemir (2007)

Aynur Özdemir
born: 1984
stabbed to death: 8 June 2007
Residence: Cologne-Zündorf
Origin: Turkey
Children: none
Perpetrator: her husband Vedat Özdemir (25 years old at the time of the crime)

Aynur has lived in Cologne since childhood. At the age of 19 she is forcibly married off to a Turkish cousin. The couple lives in Cologne, first with her parents, later in their own flat. She works as a pharmacy assistant, he at an engine manufacturer.

After an argument, husband Vedat kills his wife with multiple knife stabs. He flees to Turkey and uses his cell phone to call a friend from there to ask him to take care of Aynur. Together with her family and the police, he finds her body in the bathroom of their shared flat.

Vedat's cell phone call is traceable to Istanbul. An international arrest warrant is immediately issued. A good week later, the perpetrator is arrested in Istanbul. He confesses. Nothing more is said.

From prison, he complains that he is not being deported to Turkey. He is "practically a German". The complaint is rejected. Usually deportation is followed by a 10-year entry ban.

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.