{"id":5080,"date":"2019-08-19T16:51:39","date_gmt":"2019-08-19T13:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stj-sy.org\/ten-honor-killings-in-al-hasakah-and-as-suwayda-since-early-2019\/"},"modified":"2019-08-19T17:44:59","modified_gmt":"2019-08-19T14:44:59","slug":"ten-honor-killings-in-al-hasakah-and-as-suwayda-since-early-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stj-sy.org\/en\/ten-honor-killings-in-al-hasakah-and-as-suwayda-since-early-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten \u2018Honor Killings\u2019 in al-Hasakah and As Suwayda Since Early 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

At least 10 women and girls fell victims to the so called \u2018honor killing\u2019 in the provinces of al-Hasakah and As Suwayda, controlled respectively by the Autonomous Administration and the Syrian government during the first half of 2019. Further, four killings were reported in the two provinces, during the same period, which claimed to be \u2018female suicides\u2019 in order to conceal honor-related crimes, and the culprit to go unpunished. Knowing that laws differentiated and judicial procedures vary depending on the region and the local commanders. As in As Suwayda, perpetrators haven\u2019t been prosecuted whereas in al-Hasakah they were sentenced to imprisonment of up to 20 years.<\/p>\n

STJ field researchers have documented eight \u2018honor killings\u2019 in al-Hasakah alone; four in al-Hasakah city and one in each of Qamishli, Tell Koujar, al-Shidadi, Abu Raseen\/Zarkan. Besides, four suicides were reported in the cities of al-Hasakah, Ras al-Ayn\/Sari Kani, Amuda and Al-Jawadiyah\/\u00c7il Axa. While in As Suwayda two \u2018honor killings\u2019 have been documented.<\/p>\n

According to STJ field researchers, the judicial authorities \/ institutions in al-Hasakah refused to disclose official statistics on the actual number of \u2018honor killings\u2019 occurred in the province, and categorically refused to provide any details about those cases, since the \u2018honor killing\u2019 is a highly sensitive issue, which affect families’ honor and reputation. However, Sara, a women rights organization, provided our researchers with the number of crimes they counted in al-Hasakah province but refused to tell any details about the identities of the perpetrators or the victims.<\/p>\n

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STJ has recently prepared a report on a number of \u2018honor killings\u2019 committed in Aleppo province within areas controlled by the Turkish-backed National Army.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

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1. Honor Killings in al-Hasakah:<\/h4>\n

According to STJ field researcher, eight honor killings took place in the province of al-Hasakah, whose perpetrators were arrested and put on trial. STJ talked to a member of the Social Justice Council in the city of Qamishli, who confirmed the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators and said that they had been tried in accordance with the “Women’s Act”, article 17, which criminalizes the murder committed under the pretext of honor and considers it a full-fledged crime.[2]<\/a> The witness, however, refused to disclose details about the cases occurred, including information about the identity of the perpetrators.<\/p>\n

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Four female suicides took place in the cities of al-Hasakah, Ras al-Ayn\/Sari Kani, the town of Amuda and Al-Jawadiyah\/\u00c7il Axa village. In this regard, STJ talked to Roken Ahmed, head of the Women\u2019s Board of the Autonomous Administration, who said:<\/p>\n

\u201cSuicide cases are no longer kept in the archives as before. Today, an investigation committee is formed for each case, in order to clear up the suicide case and find out the reasons behind it. Therefore, the punishment of the criminal is determined according to the results. If it turns out that the victim had been driven to suicide by excreting violence on her, the perpetrator\u2019s sentences would be determined depending on the seriousness of the harm he\/she had caused to the victim. The authorities responsible for considering the establishment are the Justice for Women Council (specialized courts dealing with women’s issues) and the Organized Crime Task Team (a security body of the Asayish forces, responsible for monitoring women’s issues).\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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STJ field researcher in the city of Qamishli, documented an \u2018honor killing\u2019 against the 20-year-old woman H. K. T., mother of two children. The researcher talked to a relative of the victim, who said:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe victim was staying at the house of her husbands\u2019 aunt, who lives above, in the same building of her, for her husband was on shift at his work. On March 29, 2019 at approximately 8:30am, he returned and told his wife to come down to their house. After half an hour, the husband\u2019s aunt came on to invite them for breakfast and shocked to see members of the Asayish forces crowded in their house, and then arrested the husband. I headed to the hospital, and learned from the forensic doctor, that the victim was stabbed 15 times on every part of her body, mostly in the neck. The investigations revealed that the culprit was a brother of the husband, who committed the crime with the presence of the latter in the same room.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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He added:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not know exactly what happened. The husband and brother were arrested, and recently the husband’s uncle also, who is suspected of having something to do with the accident or with the victim. The victim’s husband was incredibly suspicious and jealous of her wife, he even prevented her from using the phone and many other things. The victim married at the age of 15 and used to always have conflicts with her husband.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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2. Honor killings in As Suwayda:<\/h4>\n

The province of As Suwayda witnessed two \u2018honor killings\u2019 in the first half of 2019. The culprit of one of them surrendered to the local police while that of the second is still at large.<\/p>\n