Ramallah: The Palestinian Higher Specialised Forensic Centre has announced that 14 of the 15 women murdered in so-called ‘honour’ crimes were proven to be virgins.

They were admitted to the centre to undergo autopsy tests because their deaths were termed family honour crimes. The results dismissed the pretext for the murder on grounds of honour.

Dr Saber Al Aloul, who heads the centre, said that the women have undoubtedly proved to be virgins except one woman whose case is still being investigated by the Palestinian public prosecution. In that case, sources have revealed that the victim had married in secret and did not inform her family about the marriage.

Dr Al Aloul said that allegations by the families that they murdered their daughters and sisters on family honour grounds were proven wrong. He said Palestinian families often take advantage of relatively lax laws on honour murders.

The declaration of the Palestinian Higher Specialized Forensic Centre has motivated the women’s rights organisations in Palestine to raise the issue of the long awaited amendments of the penalty law which have been kept on the back burner for years waiting for the Palestinian Legislative Council to approve them.

Sabah Salamah, a woman activist and coordinator of the public associations resisting violence against women, said that it was time for the amendments to be announced and put in place.

She asked what else, apart from the virginity tests, can be done to prove the safety and modesty of the victims and dismiss the claim that they had been killed on family honour crimes. She said that the number of female victims murdered in family honour crimes had not gone down in Palestine despite public calls to impose the law via a presidential decree. Under the altered laws, the killer of a woman murdered on family honour grounds would be punished in the same way as a regular murderer is, with no reduced penalties at all.

Sabah Salamah said that it was time to dismiss the social factor from this issue for which at least 20 women a year are killed.