JORDAN: HONOR CRIME TRIBUNAL SENTENCES PERPETRATOR

UNCLAS AMMAN 000311

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL KCRM KWMN KJUS JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN: HONOR CRIME TRIBUNAL SENTENCES PERPETRATOR
TO TEN YEARS IN PRISON

REF: A. 09 AMMAN 2741

B. 09 AMMAN 2624

C. 09 AMMAN 2578

D. 09 AMMAN 2324

E. 09 AMMAN 2307


1. On January 28, Jordan's honor crime tribunal sentenced a
19-year-old man to ten years in prison for murdering his
20-year-old sister in April 2009. The court originally
handed down a full 15-year murder sentence but immediately
reduced the sentence to ten years when the victim's father
dropped charges against his son. The sentence will be
appealed to the Court of Cassation.


2. This murder case highlighted the practice of
administratively detaining women at-risk of an honor crime
for their "own protection." The victim was detained by
police and placed under administrative protection after her
family complained to authorities she had left home on several
occasions. The victim's grandfather bailed the victim out
and allowed her to stay with him for one month. The victim,
however, reportedly fled to another relative's house after
discovering the grandfather intended to send her back to
administrative detention. Upon discovering the location of
his sister's new location, the perpetrator grabbed a knife,
entered his relative's house, and stabbed the victim nine
times. This murder is one of several reported the past
couple years where the victim was released from
administrative detention into the hands of relatives only
then to be killed by a family member.


3. This case was the fourth tried before the tribunal. In
its first two rulings, the tribunal issued full 15-year
murder sentences. A Ministry of Justice official told
Poloffs on February 2 that in these two cases the victim's
parents did not actually drop charges and, therefore, the
tribunal did not have an opportunity to consider a reduction
based on the family's wishes. The official told Poloffs that
cousins and distant relatives did try to "drop charges" but
that only the immediate family can exercise this right. In
its last two rulings, the court has issued 10-year sentences.



4. Comment: In its rulings, the tribunal has reduced charges
based on the family's wishes. Ministry of Justice officials
have previously told Post they will try to stop or at least
greatly restrict this practice when the victim and
perpetrator come from the same family. Based on these four
cases, the tribunal's average sentence is now 12.5 years,
which is significantly higher than pre-tribunal averages. In
the past, judges would hand down sentences as low as six
months because they would reduce the sentence in half after
the family dropped charges and then rule the killing was
committed in a "moment of rage." Nonetheless, the tribunal's
rulings highlight the need to amend the penal code to stop
judges from reducing sentences based on family desires when
the perpetrator and victim are from the same family. The
Justice official states this issue is being discussed as part
of an overall penal code reform package but could not
guarantee such an amendment would be ultimately be included.
Post has and will continue to push the government to stop
this practice and amend the penal code accordingly. End
Comment.
Beecroft