Hatun "Aynur" Sürücü was a Kurdish-Turkish woman living in Germany 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.
The Republic of Ararat, or Kurdish Republic of Ararat, was a self-proclaimed Kurdish state from 1927 to 1931. It was located in eastern Turkey, centred on Karaköse Province. "Agirî" is the Kurdish name for Ararat.
Kurdish women have traditionally played important roles in Kurdish society and politics. In general, Kurdish women's rights and equality have improved dramatically in the 21st century due to progressive movements within Kurdish society. However, despite the progress, Kurdish and international women's rights organizations still report problems related to gender inequality, forced marriages, honor killings, and in Iraqi Kurdistan, female genital mutilation (FGM).
Fadime Şahindal was a Kurdish immigrant who moved to Sweden from Turkey at the age of seven. She was murdered by her father, Rahmi, in January 2002 in an honour killing.
Kurds in the United States refers to people born in or residing in the United States of Kurdish origin or those considered to be ethnic Kurds.
Kurds in the United Kingdom or British Kurds refers to people of Kurdish origin born in or residing in the United Kingdom.
Rohat Alakom is a Kurdish author from Kars, Turkey who writes his books in Kurdish, Turkish and Swedish. He was born in a village of Kağızman a district of Kars Province. He went to high school in Kağızman, Later, he went to the capital of Turkey Ankara for higher education. After living in Bulgaria (1979–1980) and Germany (1980–1982) he went to Sweden. He is currently living in Sweden.
Amineh Kakabaveh is a Swedish independent politician of Iranian Kurdish descent. Having been a member of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan since her youth, she took refuge in Sweden at the age of nineteen and has become a member of the Riksdag, Sweden's parliament.
Ibrahim Heski or Ibrahim Pasha Haski Tello was a Kurdish soldier, politician and president of the Kurdish Republic of Ararat. He was from the Jalali tribe.
Kurds in Germany are residents or citizens of Germany of full or partial Kurdish origin. There is a large Kurdish community in Germany. The number of Kurds living in Germany is unknown. Many estimates assume that the number is in the million range. In February 2000, the Federal Government of Germany estimated that approximately 500.000 Kurds lived in Germany at that time.
The Democratic Union Party is a Kurdish left-wing political party established on 20 September 2003 in northern Syria. It is a founding member of the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change. It is the leading political party among Syrian Kurds. The PYD was established as a Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in 2003, and both organizations are still closely affiliated through the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK).
Kurds in Finland refers to Kurds living in Finland. In 2022 there were 16,603 Kurdish speakers in Finland.
Melissa Nordell was a Swedish fashion model, who was murdered when she was 22 years old. Her murder, by a disgruntled boyfriend, is said to have inspired Stieg Larsson to write the Millennium novels.
Pela Atroshi was a 19-year-old Kurd from Farsta, Sweden. She was murdered in an honor killing by family members after being taken from Sweden to Duhok in Kurdistan. She was deemed to have brought shame on the family by moving out of the family home and trying to achieve some independence.
Juno Maria Petra Blom is a Swedish politician for the Liberals who served as the party secretary from June 2019 to April 2022. Blom became a member of the Liberals in 2017 and was elected as a member of the Riksdag after the 2018 Swedish general election, representing her home constituency Östergötland County, and campaigning that she would bring up policies and questions surrounding children's rights and the fight against honor violence. For twelve years, she has advocated against honor violence and honor oppresition in the regional council for Östergötland county.
Sara Mohammad is an Iraqi Kurdish-born Swedish human rights activist and pharmacist. She claimed asylum in Sweden as a quota refugee in 1993 after fleeing from her child marriage a day before the wedding. Her brother had threatened to shoot her, holding a Kalashnikov rifle to her head. After Fadime Şahindal was murdered in Uppsala in 2002, Mohammad founded Gapf, an organization which campaigns against honour killing.
Tulay Goren was a 15-year-old Kurdish schoolgirl from Woodford Green, East London who went missing in January 1999.
Heshu Yones was a 16-year-old Iraqi Kurd from Acton, London who was murdered by her father in an honour killing. Abdalla Yones killed his daughter for becoming too "westernised" and for engaging in a relationship against his orders. He was sentenced to life in prison in September 2003, with a minimum term of fourteen years.
Honor-related violence in Sweden first received public attention in Sweden due to the honor killings of Sara Abed Ali in 1996, Pela Atroshi in 1999 and Fadime Sahindal in 2002. Honor related violence includes forced marriage, female genital mutilation, and other forms of coercion. According to the Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society in 2009, about 70 thousand women and men reported pressure to marry against their will. In 2019, the Swedish Police Authority started to specifically track honor-related crimes, and by November 2021, 4500 suspected honor-related crimes had been reported.
An honor killing, honour killing, or shame killing is the murder of an individual, either an outsider or a member of a family, by someone seeking to protect what they see as the dignity and honor of themselves or their family. Honor killings are often connected to religion, caste and other forms of hierarchical social stratification, or to sexuality, and those murdered will often be more liberal than the murderer rather than genuinely "dishonorable". Most often, it involves the murder of a woman or girl by male family members, due to the perpetrators' belief that the victim has brought dishonor or shame upon the family name, reputation or prestige. Honour killings are believed to have originated from tribal customs. They are prevalent in various parts of the world, natively in MENA countries and in South Asia especially in India, Pakistan and Nepal, as well as in immigrant communities in countries which do not otherwise have societal norms that encourage honor killings. Honor killings are often associated with rural and tribal areas, but they occur in urban areas too. Although condemned by international conventions and human rights organizations, honor killings are often justified and encouraged by various communities.
