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| Turkish man in Berlin jailed for 'honour killing' of sister | ||||||
| 2006-04-16 | ||||||
A Turkish-born man who shot dead his older sister in a so-called honour-killing was convicted of murder and jailed for nine years and three months by a German court on Thursday.
Her brother Ayhan Surucu, now 20, confessed to the killing which he said had been carried out to restore "honour" to the family. Because he was 18 at the time of the killing, he could not be given the adult sentence of life imprisonment. Michael Degreif said there was something awful about the attack, since Hatun had been killed merely for "living her life the way she thought best". Ayhan's two older brothers, who had been accused of providing the gun and acting as lookout, were acquitted by the court, which said their involvement had not been proven. Prosecutors had claimed the men of the family conspired to "execute" their "wayward" sister. The case drew huge attention in Germany which has a large Turkish minority numbering about 2.5 million out of a total population of 82 million. The Surucu family had moved to Berlin from a poor area of eastern Anatolia to find work. There are growing fears over the failure to integrate foreigners in Germany and Federal Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble recently warned that "slums" were developing in minority areas in some cities. The execution-style killing shocked Berliners. Ayhan walked up to his sister on a street near the apartment where she was bringing up her son in Berlin's Tempelhof district and shot her point-blank three times with a pistol. She died in a pool of blood. Judge Degreif said the case was tragic as Hatun had been seeking reconciliation with her family. The accused had been motivated by a "code of honour" that obliged him to defend the family reputation and by his view that Islam forbade his sister's lifestyle.
The death of Hatun prompted Germany to seek ways to bar arranged marriages, since Hatun was alleged to have been married in Turkey against her will. She had returned to Berlin and then moved away from home in the face of protests from her family. She completed her school education and began an apprenticeship as an electrician. Legislation is currently under consideration that would make it a crime punishable by up to 10 years in jail to force anyone to marry. The UN Human Rights Commission estimates that about 5,000 women and girls are the victims of "honour killings" by their own families around the world every year. The feudal-style code of honour is common in some Islamic societies and also a few Christian nations. for example?????A family policy spokesman of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Johannes Singhammer, said Germany had to show "zero tolerance" towards "this disgraceful form of kangaroo justice". There has also been counter-reaction within some elements of Germany's Turkish community amid a perception that Berlin is trying to stamp out all foreign customs or that it may be hostile to Islam.
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| Posted by:lotp |
| #7 We did everything we could to rebuild German self-confidence after WWII, and all we ended up doing was foster a welfare state. They're not even a child, they're a pet. You raise them lovingly and for years they are younger than you are, and then they are your age, and then they become infirm and die. The difference is that I'll miss my cats. |
| Posted by: Perfessor 2006-04-16 15:10 |
| #6 The shooting was captured by a bystander's cellphone camera; don't know where it can be found now, but it showed the girl kneeling as she was imploring, and the Moderate Muslim(tm) aiming at her. Pretty dramatic picture, like the one showing showing TVG's body lying in the street. Muslim wimmen are usually more integrated into european society than their brothers, it's at least the case in France, since they have more to gain, they're usually much more successful at school for example. Of course, the men are acting as watchdogs, using various means of pressure, up to rape of girls deemed to "westernized". |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-04-16 13:02 |
| #5 Gee, 9 years minus time served minus 1/3 sentence and back of the streets in about 2 years. And no punishment for the familial accomplancies, despite the witness in hiding. Honour killings should shoot right up in Germany - they are court-approved! Do the crime - pay next to no time. Allah Akbar. |
| Posted by: Thinemp Whimble2412 2006-04-16 10:11 |
| #4 It seems the Germans have been shocked by each of the Honor Killings of the last several years. Consistency is a very German trait. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-04-16 08:50 |
| #3 Hey, I do have a name! |
| Posted by: RR 2006-04-16 06:07 |
| #2 also a few Christian nations. for example????? Any Christian country with Muslims in it. |
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Posted by: |
| #1 now who will do the "honor killing" to restore "honor" to their family now of this murderer? un f*cking believable Help remind me this is the year 2006? That this crap is still going on around the world |
| Posted by: Jan 2006-04-16 03:18 |