An in-depth story from the BBC, “Killed for the family’s honour”
There is growing concern among Palestinian human rights workers after the killings of at least six young women in recent months. The murders are described in some quarters as “honour killings”. The victims are usually accused of behaving improperly and bringing shame upon their families. Orla Guerin has been piecing together some of the victims’ stories.
She was last seen at half past two on a Saturday afternoon looking down from a window in her family’s apartment.
They live on a main road, in a building that houses an ice-cream shop. Outside a religious procession was making its way through the streets…
Less than two hours later, she was dead – her skull crushed – reportedly by blows from an iron bar.
Her name was Faten. She was 22-years-old, a Palestinian Christian from the West Bank city of Ramallah.
After her lifeless body was found, her father and an aunt were taken into custody…
Forty-eight hours later, and a half an hour’s drive away, two sisters were killed – this time in a Muslim home.
Police believe this was another so-called honour killing. The victims were a 20-year-old called Amani and her older sister Rodina, who was 27.
Both were married and both had apparently been strangled. A third sister was attacked but survived, and she is now in hospital…
Read it all.