Customary Homicides in Diyarbakir Province

Abstract

This study presents an analysis of the causes of so-called honor killings in the context of "customary homicide" and a discussion of preventive measures. Finalized case files of customary homicide between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2012 were retrospectively examined in Diyarbakir Province, Turkey. Of a total of 28 case victims, 17 (60.7%) were females and 11 (39.3%) were males. All perpetrators were male. There was a significant difference between male and female victims in terms of economic independence (p=0.000). A direct blood relationship or relationship by marriage (such as brother-in-law) was found to have a significant association with the gender of the victim (p<0.001). Multilevel educational activities targeting a transformation of the perception of women by society, replacement of patriarchal models with more modern attitudes, and encouragement of individuality may represent effective strategies that may help reduce the number of customary homicide, which represents a multifaceted problem.

Distinguishing between homicide and suicide knots and ligatures: A comparative analysis of case and survey data

“…Hanging was rarely observed in the homicides analyzed, whereas most suicide cases involved a neck ligature and hanging. This finding agrees with published studies and case reports [1,2,13–20,22–73]. According to a sample of published data summarized in Table 8, full suspension in hanging suicides appears to be more prevalent than partial suspension in eastern cultures [48–64].…”

“…A relatively consistent detail observed in this study was the tension of neck ligatures in the cases analyzed, which agrees with the forensic literature [22–70]. Knotted homicide strangulation ligatures were typically tighter than suicide ligatures used for hanging.…”

“…Suicide methods can differ from culture to culture depending on social acceptability, the availability of suitable materials, and the technical means to perform the act [25–47,70–73]. Some suicides are extremely unusual and ostensibly equivocal [1–6,13–20].…”

“…The differences in many specific knot and ligature characteristics are unknown. Further, the knot data reported in the literature are inconsistent, and numerous details have not been examined in case reports and international retrospective studies [1–6,13–20,25–74]. Published knot and ligature data acquired from homicides are not abundant.…”