Mother of ten beaten to death in front of her children by husband in Berlin

Nigina
Age: 45
Beaten to death: June 30, 2024
Residence: Berlin, Germany
Origin: Tajikistan
Children: 10
Perpetrator: her husband

Nigina fled Tajikistan, an Asian Islamic republic formerly part of the Soviet Union, with her family and lived in Germany for several years in an apartment in Berlin's Tempelhof district. The 45-year-old Nigina had 10 children, five of whom lived at home and five of whom had their own apartments.

On June 29, the five out-of-home children were visiting. On the night from Saturday to Sunday, Nigina was allegedly beaten to death by her husband in front of their children.

The police were called to the apartment complex on Parkstraße around 3 a.m. Officers determined that Nigina had serious head injuries and was the victim of a violent crime. The husband was arrested and taken to the police station for questioning.

Emergency services took care of the 10 children (between 1 and 24 years old) and took them and two pets elsewhere. Nigina is not the woman's real name.

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.