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Murder of Hatun Sürücü

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Memorial plaque for Hatun Sürücü, Oberlandgarten 1, Berlin-Tempelhof, Germany (corner Oberlandstraße (Berlin) [de] / Oberlandgarten). The plaque mentioned incorrect year of birth (1983 instead of 1982). It was replaced in 2013.

Hatun "Aynur" Sürücü (also spelled Hatun Sürücü; 17 January 1982, in West Berlin – 7 February 2005, in Berlin) was a Kurdish-Turkish[1] woman living in Germany[2] whose family was originally from Erzurum, Turkey. She was murdered at the age of 23 in Berlin, by her youngest brother, in an honor killing and sororicide. Sürücü had divorced the cousin she was forced to marry at the age of 16, and was reportedly dating a German man. Her murder inflamed a public debate over forced marriage in Muslim families.

Sürücü was sent to her ancestral village by her family and forced to marry a cousin there at the age of 16. She gave birth to a son, Can, in 1999. In October 1999, she fled her parents' home in Berlin, finding refuge in a home for underage mothers. She attended school, and had moved into her own apartment in the Tempelhof neighborhood of Berlin. At the time of her murder, she was at the end of her training to become an electrician.

Murder

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On 7 February 2005, at a bus stop near her apartment, Sürücü was killed by three gunshots to the head.[1] The police arrested three of her brothers on 14 February.[2] After several weeks of news coverage, the media began to label the murder as an honour killing, since Sürücü had received threats and reported them to police before she was killed.[3]

Prosecution

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In July 2005, the Berlin Public Prosecutor's office charged Sürücü's brothers with her murder. On 14 September 2005, Ayhan Sürücü, the youngest brother, confessed to murdering his sister. In April 2006, Ayhan was sentenced to nine years and three months in prison, and his two older brothers were acquitted of charges of conspiring to murder their sister. The prosecution appealed on a point of law at the Federal Court of Justice, the Bundesgerichtshof, immediately and the 5th criminal division of the Federal Court of Justice overturned the conviction and allowed a revision. A new criminal proceeding was to take place in August 2008.[4][5]

After completing his sentence on 4 July 2014, Ayhan Sürücü was released from prison and deported from Germany to Turkey.[6]

Public outrage

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Hatun Sürücü's grave in Berlin-Gatow

Sürücü's murder was the sixth incident of "honour" killing since October, 2004.[7] On 22 February 2005, a vigil called by the Berlin Gay and Lesbian association was held at the scene of the crime, which was attended by about 100 Germans and Turks together. A second vigil, called for by German politicians and artists, was held on 24 February. Sürücü's murder and several similar cases in Germany and elsewhere in Europe were cited by political opponents of Turkey's admission to the European Union as an example of disregard for human rights in the Turkish culture. Sürücü was of Kurdish descent.[1][2]

The Sürücü family's behaviour again sparked public outrage when Hatun's sister Arzu applied for custody of Hatun's six-year-old son Can, who had been living with a foster family in Berlin since the murder of his mother.[8] Eight months later, the district court of Berlin-Tempelhof rejected the request.[9] Arzu Sürücü appealed this decision, but the appeal was rejected.[10]

The public continues to demonstrate for Hatun on the anniversary of her death. Activists and citizens lay wreaths in her memory and campaign for help for girls who are faced with forced marriage and honour-related violence. Giyasettin Sayan, a Kurdish politician, complained that no Kurdish representatives were invited to demonstrations after Sürücü's murder, saying, "we are all from Turkey, but we are not all Turks."[11]

Legacy

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Goll, Jo (26 July 2011). "Ehrenmord: So brachte Ayhan Sürücü seine Schwester Hatun um". Die Welt – via www.welt.de.
  2. ^ a b c "Tatmotiv Kultur". Frankfurter Allgemeine, 02.03.2005; F.A.Z., 03.03.2005, Nr. 52 / page 37 (German).
  3. ^ Beseke, Ulrike (19 April 2006). ""Hatuns Bruder hat sie sexuell belästigt"". stern.de (in German). Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  4. ^ Pressemitteilung des Bundesgerichtshofs Nr. 117/07. 28 August 2007.
  5. ^ "Sürücü-Mord kommt wieder vor Gericht", tagesspiegel.de. Accessed 22 October 2024.
  6. ^ Berliner Zeitung. "Verurteilt wegen "Ehrenmord": Mörder von Hatun Sürücü abgeschoben". berliner-zeitung.de.
  7. ^ Banse, Dirk; Laninger, Tanja (16 February 2005). "Mordmotiv: Blut für die Ehre - WELT". DIE WELT (in German). Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  8. ^ Cleaver, Hannah (19 April 2006). "Anger as 'honour killing' family try to adopt victim's son"[dead link]. Telegraph (UK).
  9. ^ "Kein Sorgerecht für Sürücüs". n-tv.de. 20 December 2006.
  10. ^ "Sorgerechts-Gezerre um Hatun Sürücüs Sohn". Spiegel Online. 5 February 2007.
  11. ^ Siemons, Mark (2 March 2005). ""Ehrenmorde": Tatmotiv Kultur". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH.
  12. ^ Höppner, Stephanie (8 February 2018). "'Honor killings' in Germany: When families turn executioners". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  13. ^ Bartlik, Silke (11 March 2010). "'Die Fremde'". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  14. ^ Nurtsch, Ceyda (9 May 2019). "'A Regular Woman': Remembering honor killing victim Hatun Sürücü". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
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