Anger as 'father kills Jordanian woman, drinks tea besides her corpse'

Anger as 'father kills Jordanian woman, drinks tea besides her corpse'
The harrowing account of Ahlam's chilling murder has caused outrage in Jordan and calls for justice.
2 min read
18 July, 2020
Ahlam's screams were heard [Twitter]
Jordanians are calling for justice for an honour killing after a horrific video of a woman being murdered by her father went viral on social media on Friday.

After facing years of domestic abuse, Ahlam, a woman in her believed to be in her thirties was killed by her own father on Friday. According to witness reports, she ran out of her home mid-beating onto the streets with blood all over her body, screaming for help.

Her father then allegedly chased her with a brick and beat her until she died. Witnesses added that he smoked a cigarette and drank tea next to her corpse afterwards.

A harrowing anonymous eyewitness account circulated on social media, describing her vicious murder.

"At 9 p.m., the neighbours heard an unusual screaming. They looked out of their windows, and Ahlam was running in the street with blood all over her body. It appeared that she was trying to escape from her family while they were beating her," the account, which could not be independently verified, said.

"Ahlam was begging her mother to intervene, but she remained silent. Her head was crushed with brick until she died," the account said, adding that neighbours tried to intervene and had contacted the police, but they arrived too late.

The incident allegedly took place in the al-Balqa governorate.

The man, in his sixties, was charged over the murder of his daughter on Saturday, after appearing before the Grand Criminal Court in Amman, according to local media reports.

'Who is next?'

Many took to social media to express outrage, with some asking how many more murders it will take for honour killings to be addressed in Jordan.

Read also: Trapped with domestic abusers: How Covid-19 lockdowns are endangering vulnerable women across the Middle East

Two hashtags, which translate to "Ahlam screams" and "Ahlam was betrayed" went viral on Twitter, as a video of her screaming for help circulated.

"I will choose to tweet in English because apparently when this becomes international news, the Jordanian officials and government start paying attention and fear for their reputation and how to salvage that," musician Ghiya Rushidat tweeted.

"What is happening in this world? I thought these types of crimes were left behind and that humans have progressed intellectually. I hate that I exist in a world were honor, reputation, and the reputation of fathers and brothers are more important that an actual human life," anothe Twitter user wrote.

Many compared Ahlam's death to the honour killing of Israa Ghrayeb, a Palestinian from Bethlehem who was killed in August last year after allegedly posting a photo with her fiance.

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