Honor killing in Mülheim an der Ruhr: 31-year-old woman stabbed to death by her ex-husband

Ela
born: 1991
stabbed to death: 14 June 2022
Residence: Mülheim an der Ruhr (NRW)
Origin: Serbia
Children: 3 (at the time of the crime 3, 7, 9 years)
Perpetrator: her husband (34 years)

On June 14, 2022, in the Styrum neighborhood of Mülheim, a man stabs his wife to death next to a playground where their 3 children were playing together. The woman is taken to the hospital, but dies the next morning. The man was arrested at the scene, the knife was confiscated. Note: The children were eyewitnesses to the crime. Presumably this is a signal to them, "This is what happens to you if you don't follow the rules."

The family has not been noticed so far, but the mother has applied for custody because the father does not have a residence permit in Germany and has also not spent his authorized visitation time with the family. The real names of those involved are not known.

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.