Honour killing story: Katrin Götze (2003)

Katrin Götze
born 1966
stabbed to death: 1 April 2003
Residence: Münster
Origin: Perpetrator: Turkey
Children: unclear
Perpetrator: her ex-boyfriend Cetin A. (32 years old at the time of the crime)

With 66 knife stabs, Cetin kills his ex-girlfriend Katrin in Münster in early April 2003. She lives in Münster, her real name and nationality are not known. She is believed to be German. The police find the body in the Steinfurter Bagno recreation area. The culprit goes into hiding and is put on the investigation list.

Nothing would have become known about the case if the perpetrator had not been arrested in Paris 15 years later. He had attacked a social worker with a knife. The European arrest warrant was discovered via a saliva sample. Extradition is requested. So the case comes back to the press in August 2018.

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.