Ref: 27/2013
Date: 10 March 2013
Time: 12:00 GMT

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the murder of a 23-year-old woman from al-Nussairat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Friday morning in a so-called “honour killing”. PCHR calls upon the Attorney General to open a thorough, independent investigation into this crime and bring the perpetrators to justice.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 02:00 on Friday, 08 March 2013, the body of the young woman was brought to al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. The body was later transferred to the Forensic Medicine Department in al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

According to police sources, the Palestinian police opened an investigation into the crime and arrested the victim’s father and two of her brothers on suspicion of murder. The police sources added that one of the victim’s brothers had confessed to strangling his sister with the motive of protecting “family honour”.

PCHR documented the murder of 3 women in “honour killings” in 2012; 2 women were killed in the Gaza Strip and 1 woman was killed in the West Bank.

PCHR strongly condemns this crime, and:

1. Calls for a thorough, independent investigation into the death of the young woman and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice;
2. Stresses the importance of investigating and prosecuting all incidents of “honour killings”, which must be carried out, as in the case of any willful killing, in accordance with international human rights law standards.