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Spandau Opens Permanent Memorial for Hatun Sürücü

Officials say the site will keep Sürücü’s case visible as a civic condemnation of honor killings, pressing society to take responsibility.

Overview

  • The new gravesite and plaque were unveiled on Wednesday at the Islamic section of Landschaftsfriedhof Gatow to replace the temporary grave after its 20‑year term expired.
  • Berlin leaders and activists attended the inauguration, including Mayor Kai Wegner, Spandau mayor Frank Bewig, lawyer and campaigner Seyran Ateş, and Sürücü’s son Can, who thanked supporters.
  • The granite plaque honors Sürücü “on behalf of all women” who resisted coercion and were killed for seeking self‑determination and serves as an explicit public condemnation of so‑called honor killings.
  • Spandau invested about €10,000 in the reburial and upkeep, a move driven by the district after rules for a state honorary grave proved too strict and public offers of support emerged in 2025.
  • Sürücü’s 2005 murder by a brother remains a touchstone in debates over patriarchal violence, legal accountability and integration, with the attacker later serving juvenile detention, being deported to Turkey, and related Istanbul trials acquitting two brothers.