Police are edging closer to resolving a gruesome 'honour' killing in Jordan.
The burned body of a pregnant woman whose throat had been slit and belly cut open, which was found on Sunday by police in Jordan, was autopsied yesterday, in a bid to find her killer.
The woman, likely to be unmarried, was murdered in a so-called 'honour killing', police concluded, based on the grotesque manner of her murder which involved her stomach being cut open, showing her four-month-old foetus.
The burned body of a pregnant woman was found in the city of Amman, Jordan (pictured)
'We found the body of the woman at dawn in Ruseifeh (east of Amman). Her throat was slit in a hideous way. The body was burned after the murder,' a police spokesman said.
'We believe it was an honour crime. The belly of the woman, who was in her twenties, was cut open and we could see her four-month-old unborn child, who was dead too. Investigations are still under way.'
It is unclear exactly what enticed the murderer to carry out such a killing. One likely reason is pregnancy outside of marriage.
In most Arab countries, for a woman to be expecting a child out of wedlock is considered too shameful for most families as even the act of sex is not permitted – both religiously and in many cases legally.
Another possibility could be adultery, also considered such a 'crime' under Islam, that a man could be forgiven for murdering his wife for such an act.
Such killings occur as most of those carrying them out do not expect the families of the women to press charges.
'The forensic examiners also established that the foetus, which was also burnt, was four-months-old'
Medical source
'The fact that she was pregnant and her stomach was cut open is a strong indication that she was killed for reasons related to family honour,' a police source told The Jordan Times yesterday.
Quoting eyewitnesses, another source said that two men driving a truck approached the garbage container, dumped a body and then set the container ablaze after pouring in a flammable substance.
'Police were able to lift fingerprints from one of her hands that was not affected by the fire and are currently reviewing their missing persons' files,' the source added.
Yesterday government pathologists performed an autopsy on the victim and established that she was set ablaze after she was murdered, a senior medical source said, adding that the woman's throat had been slit which was the cause of her death.
'The forensic examiners also established that the foetus, which was also burnt, was four-months-old,' the medical source added.
Between 15 and 20 women die in so-called 'honour' murders each year in the Arab kingdom, despite government efforts to curb such crimes, according to the French news agency, AFP.
Murder is punishable by death in Jordan, but in 'honour killings' courts can commute or reduce sentences, particularly if the victim's family asks for leniency.
The burned body of a pregnant woman whose throat had been slit and belly cut open, which was found on Sunday by police in Jordan, was autopsied yesterday, in a bid to find her killer.
The woman, likely to be unmarried, was murdered in a so-called 'honour killing', police concluded, based on the grotesque manner of her murder which involved her stomach being cut open, showing her four-month-old foetus.
The burned body of a pregnant woman was found in the city of Amman, Jordan (pictured)
'We found the body of the woman at dawn in Ruseifeh (east of Amman). Her throat was slit in a hideous way. The body was burned after the murder,' a police spokesman said.
'We believe it was an honour crime. The belly of the woman, who was in her twenties, was cut open and we could see her four-month-old unborn child, who was dead too. Investigations are still under way.'
It is unclear exactly what enticed the murderer to carry out such a killing. One likely reason is pregnancy outside of marriage.
In most Arab countries, for a woman to be expecting a child out of wedlock is considered too shameful for most families as even the act of sex is not permitted – both religiously and in many cases legally.
Another possibility could be adultery, also considered such a 'crime' under Islam, that a man could be forgiven for murdering his wife for such an act.
Such killings occur as most of those carrying them out do not expect the families of the women to press charges.
'The forensic examiners also established that the foetus, which was also burnt, was four-months-old'
Medical source
'The fact that she was pregnant and her stomach was cut open is a strong indication that she was killed for reasons related to family honour,' a police source told The Jordan Times yesterday.
Quoting eyewitnesses, another source said that two men driving a truck approached the garbage container, dumped a body and then set the container ablaze after pouring in a flammable substance.
'Police were able to lift fingerprints from one of her hands that was not affected by the fire and are currently reviewing their missing persons' files,' the source added.
Yesterday government pathologists performed an autopsy on the victim and established that she was set ablaze after she was murdered, a senior medical source said, adding that the woman's throat had been slit which was the cause of her death.
'The forensic examiners also established that the foetus, which was also burnt, was four-months-old,' the medical source added.
Between 15 and 20 women die in so-called 'honour' murders each year in the Arab kingdom, despite government efforts to curb such crimes, according to the French news agency, AFP.
Murder is punishable by death in Jordan, but in 'honour killings' courts can commute or reduce sentences, particularly if the victim's family asks for leniency.