Ref: 73/2007

Date: 29 July 2007

Time: 12:30 GMT

PCHR Calls for Imposing Tougher Sentences on Perpetrators of “Honor Killings” 

PCHR strongly condemns the murder of a young woman in El-Bureij refugee camp in what is known as an “honor killing.” The Center calls for taking effective legal steps to stop this form of crime that has been escalating over the past 2 years.

The Center’s preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 17:30 on Saturday, 28 July 2007, the body of Nisreen Mohammad Abu B’reik (26) was found in Block 7 of El-Bureij refugee camp. The forensic pathologist informed PCHR’s fieldworker that the body bore signs of suffocation and stabs in the neck, as well as bruises in the face. It is believed that the crime was motivated by “honor.” The victim’s brother surrendered to the Executive Force in the center of the Gaza Strip.

Over the past two years, “honor killings” have increased. The latest crime prior to the one in this release was perpetrated on 21 July 2007, when the bodies of 3 sisters were found in the Martyrs Cemetery in Wadi El-Salqa area near Deir El-Balah in the center of the Gaza Strip.

It is noted that the Palestinian Penal Code of 1936, still effective in the Gaza Strip, does not differentiate between what is known as “honor killings” and premeditated murder. However, judicial precedents give perpetrators of “honor killings” special immunity that reduces their sentence.

PCHR strongly condemns this crime, and:

–         Calls for a serious investigation into the murder of the young women, and for prosecuting the perpetrators.

–         Points to the recurrence of honor killings in the Gaza Strip due to the impunity granted to killers through reduced sentences, knowing that such crimes take honor killings as cover to get reduced sentences.

–         Calls for deterrent steps against honor killings, which must be treated as premeditated murder, taking into consideration international human rights standards.