Man kills 'immoral' sister

2009-04-11 19:01

Amman - A Jordanian man was charged on Saturday with premeditated murder after he said he stabbed his pregnant sister to death because of her alleged "immoral behaviour", a judicial official said.

The 25-year-old suspect "stabbed his 28-year-old married sister in the face, stomach and back, and to make sure she was dead, he cut her throat, before turning himself in and confessing to the crime this morning", in the southern governorate of Tafileh, the official told AFP.

"He claimed he killed his sister, who was pregnant with a five-month-old child, because of her immoral behaviour."

The official gave no further details.

Between 15 and 20 women are murdered every year in the kingdom in cases involving "family honour." Last year around 17 such killings were recorded.

Murder is punishable by the death penalty in Jordan, but in the case of so-called "honour killings", a court usually commutes or reduces sentences if the family of a victim drops charges against the killer.

Perpetrators often receive relatively light sentences as lawmakers have refused to reform the penal code to ensure harsher punishment, despite demands by local and international human rights activists.

- AFP