By Rana Husseini

AMMAN - The criminal prosecutor on Saturday charged a physically disabled man with the manslaughter of his niece in the latest so-called honour crime this year, according to an official source.

The victim received three bullet wounds to her head and chest on Friday, purportedly by the suspect who phoned the police and informed them that he killed his niece to cleanse his family’s honour, the source told The Jordan Times.

He handed officers who rushed to the house the gun he allegedly used in the murder and told the police that he killed his unmarried niece, because he suspected she was involved in an “illegitimate affair” based on rumours, the source said.

The victim was visiting her uncle’s house with the rest of her family when an argument ensued, the source added, citing initial investigations into the case.

The suspect reportedly drew a gun and shot the victim three times, according to the source, who added that she was rushed to a nearby hospital where she died shortly after being admitted to the emergency room.

A postmortem conducted by pathologist Azzam Haddad indicated that the girl died as a result of multiple bullet wounds. The report also revealed that the victim was not sexually active, according to the source.

Criminal Prosecutor Yassin Lawzi ordered that the suspect be detained for 14 days pending further investigation into the case, the source said.

“The criminal prosecutor is currently questioning the victim’s family members and witnesses to determine if there was another motive behind the murder,” the source added.

The victim became the 13th person reportedly murdered in Jordan in a so-called honour crime since the beginning of the year.

Annually, medical sources put the number at 20, while UN figures estimate that globally, over 5,000 women are killed in the name of family honour.

5 October 2008

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