New memorial to Hatun Sürücü unveiled

There are flowers in front of the memorial plaque at Hatun Sürücü’s grave of honour.

Flowers are placed against the stone beneath a tree in the cemetery in the southern part of Berlin’s Spandau district.

"In memory of all women who resisted coercion and subjugation because they wanted to lead self-determined lives and, as a result, became victims of violence," reads the plaque that has been erected. The inscription commemorates the murder of Hatun Sürücü, who was 23 at the time. More than 21 years ago, the German-Turkish woman was shot dead by one of her brothers – because that was what her family wanted. 

The fate of Hatun Sürücü remains a warning to this day

With the new grave, the Spandau district aims to ensure that Hatun Sürücü’s fate is remembered for years to come. The district council decided to take this step after the standard lease period for Hatun Sürücü’s old grave had expired after 20 years. The aim is to show that the district council stands against the persecution of women, District Councillor Thorsten Schatz (CDU) told radio station RBB 88.8. Hatun Sürücü’s death will not be forgotten and remains a reminder to this day. In the presence of Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU), Spandau’s Mayor Frank Bewig (CDU) and the Berlin women’s rights activist Seyran Ateş, the new memorial site in the Islamic section of the Gatow Landscape Cemetery was formally unveiled. Numerous people attended the moving memorial service, including Hatun Sürücü’s son. He thanked everyone involved who had campaigned for the new burial site.

"I'm proud of my mum"

"Her son was here today – a boy who had to grow up without his mum because she was murdered in the name of so-called honour – simply because Hatun wanted to live freely and on her own terms," said Berlin’s Mayor Wegner. Can Sürücü was five years old when his mother was murdered in Berlin. "I am proud of my mum," he said at an event in the Rotes Rathaus to mark the 21st anniversary of his mother’s death in February. Wegner thanked the district for the new grave site. It is a place of remembrance and a reminder at the same time, said the CDU politician. "Honour killings must be socially ostracised. We must make it absolutely clear that so-called honour killings have nothing to do with honour," said Wegner. "For that, we need places; for that, we need remembrance. But above all, we must take responsibility for the women."