Thursday, December 09, 2010

AMMAN: A Jordanian was charged Wednesday with killing his 16-year-old sister because he suspected she had “bad behavior,” police said.

“The 17-year-old strangled his sister last week because he claimed she had bad behavior,” in the southern city of Maan, a police spokesman told AFP.

“Her family forced her to get married a few months ago but she was divorced more than a month ago. After she returned to her family, she escaped but police sent her back.”

The police spokesman added that the girl’s family “tied her to a bed to prevent her from running away at night.”
“Last week, her brother woke her up and strangled her. Her family claimed she was ill but an autopsy and investigation showed she was murdered,” the spokesman said.

The girl’s mother and another brother have been arrested and charged with being accessories to murder.

Murder is punishable by the death penalty in Jordan, but courts usually commute or reduce sentences in so-called cases of “honor killings,” particularly if another member of the family urges leniency.

About 15-20 women are murdered each year in Jordan in the name of honor, despite government efforts to fight such crimes. – AFP