VZCZCXRO5796
RR RUEHBC RUEHDH RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHAM #0311 0341347
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031347Z FEB 10 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6837
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE

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