The Haifa District Court on Wednesday sentenced two brothers to life in prison for murdering their sister in what was termed an “honor killing.”
The two brothers, 40-year-old Anwar Salameh and Hassan Salameh, 37, were convicted of conspiring to commit a crime, kidnapping with intent to murder, and premeditated murder.

The murder occurred in December 2005, when the victim was 21. The two defendants, residents of the village of Mrar, conspired to kill their sister after they discovered she had a secret romantic relationship, defying them. They viewed their sister’s behavior as harming the family’s honor and consequently planned to convince her to join them on a trip somewhere and then kill her.

The two arrived at their parent’s home in a car belonging to the older brother and convinced their sister to join them to “go to her lover to work out their relationship.” The sister was convinced and joined her brothers on the trip. However, during the ride, the defendants veered from the route into the woods near Mrar.

The two brothers locked the doors of the vehicle and closed the windows to prevent their sister’s escape. Then they proceeded to strangle her with their hands. The later removed the victim’s body from the car, confirmed that she was in fact dead, taped her nose and mouth with duct tape and placed the body in a ditch nearby. They then covered her upper body with dirt.

Anwar Salameh said to the judges that “the penalty is a little severe for us; we received a very serious punishment. I ask you to take into consideration our situation ? my family is bereaved.”

Both defendants expressed remorse and asked via their defense attorney to prevent the publication of the story in the media.

The judges ruled that they could see no reason to deviate from the norm and permitted the publication of the trial’s details. However, the judges prohibited the publication of details pertaining to the sister and her lover.