Honour killing story: Gülay (Jasmin, Ayse) (2010)

Gülay (Jasmin, Ayse)
Born: 1986
Attempted murder: September 29, 2010
Residence: Cologne
Origin: Turkey
Children: probably none
Perpetrator: her ex-boyfriend Yüksel / Mustafa D. (at the time of the crime 33 years old)

Yüksel has been stalking his ex-girlfriend Gülay for some time. He does not want to accept their divorce. On September 29, 2010, he shows up at the hotel where she works. Gülay calls a cousin to help mediate. But Yüksel rams a knife into her stomach several times. She arrives at the hospital with life-threatening injuries and undergoes emergency surgery.

Yüksel flees, a massive manhunt is opened. The next day he turns himself in to the police. In May 2011, the trial for attempted manslaughter and infliction of grievous bodily harm begins in the Cologne District Court. Yüksel's lawyer explains that his client was married to another woman. During the pregnancy he then began a relationship with Gülay (the Kölner Stadtanzeiger calls her Ayse, the newspaper Bild Jasmin, the Express Gülay).

In June, the perpetrator is sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison. In the justification for the sentence, it is said that Gülay had not told her boyfriend that she had had another boyfriend before. The two had argued about that. The Express names the perpetrator Mustafa, the Kölner Stadtanzeiger Yüksel. He was already known to the police before the crime.

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.