What was going on at home that she felt she had to run away from, risking her life? What is a 27 year-old man doing even talking to a 17 year-old, knowing what could happen to her? Indeed, as the court said, she was a child in her understanding of her actions, and an adult brother made her pay an adult price for her childish ignorance. Her beloved brother, a person dear to her.
AMMAN – The Criminal Court on Thursday sentenced a 32-year-old man to 10 years in prison for murdering his teenage sister in July 2009.
The court first handed the defendant a 15-year prison term after convicting him of shooting his 17-year-old sister at their family’s home on July 20, but decided to reduce the sentence to 10 years because his family dropped charges against him.
A few days before the incident, the teenager met a 27-year-old man and ran away from home, court papers said, adding that he tried to convince her to return home, but she refused.
“She sent a message to her family from his mobile phone, claiming that she had been abducted,” the court said.
In the meantime, police concluded that the girl was with the man after tracing her phone calls, so they called him and asked him to surrender; he went to the police station with the victim and they both turned themselves in, according to court papers.
“The governor decided to release the girl to her father who signed a guarantee that he would not harm her,” the court said.
The defendant was informed by his family that his sister was on her way home so he grabbed a gun that he had owned for four years and shot her the minute she arrived, the court stated.
The court rejected the defendant’s claims that he should benefit from a reduction in penalty because he killed his sister to cleanse his family’s honour.
“The victim did not commit any unlawful or dangerous act as stipulated in Article 98. She is a child and cannot weigh her actions. The defendant should have advised her not to leave her home instead of killing her,” the court ruled.
“The victim was killed by a person dear to her, her brother, who took family honour as an excuse to kill her,” the court added.
Criminal Court Prosecutor Anwar Abu Eid asked the court to impose the maximum punishment against the defendant.
The tribunal was headed by Judge Nayef Samarat and included judges Talal Aqrabawi and Hani Suheiba.
Incidentally, it was International Day of Solidarity With Victims of Honor Crimes. No Jordanian women in the list, as they remain nameless numbers. Thank you Isobel.
Kinzi, when I was compiling my list of names, I searched for a news article on each and every one of the killings. I read the articles and I have never seen so much cruelty and sadness. Each unique, but each so much like the story you tell here. For some, justice was served, for others there was nothing. I knew too that I was only seeing the tip of the iceberg, that there are so many names that will go unknown. Please, if you will, add the two Jordanian names you know to the list in my comment section. Thank you.
Isobel, thank you for compiling your own list! For taking the time to learn their stories, because it is a heart-wrenching exercise of knowledge…
I will add the names now.