Civil Institutions Call on PA President to Ensure Thorough Investigation in the Recent Murder Case of Nancy Zboun
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- Published on Saturday, 04 August 2012 16:54
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The Civil institutions in Bethlehem called on the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to form an investigation commission to investigate the negligence in the case of Nancy Zboun, who was killed by her husband on Monday, 30th July.
They stressed that it's important to form this commission in order to seek the negligence by the different sides that were responsible for following-up with the case of the victim to ensure that such brutal crimes won't repeat again.
Spokespersons said at a conference, which was held by the civil institutions in Bethlehem city, that there is negligence by some of the official institutions and organizations in providing the protection to the victim who was suffering from her husband for more than two years, noting that this negligence led at the end to this crime a day after the man assaulted his wife and the police only made the husband sign a commitment that he won't assault her again.
Among the audience who attended the conference: the Governor of Bethlehem Minister, Abdul Fattah Hamayel, director of Bethlehem women's counseling center and coordinator of the civil institutions, Khawla al-Azraq, the director of the Mehwar center, Maysun Ramadan and director of the media the NGO Women Media and Development –TAM, Suheir Farraj and the lawyer Salwa Banoura.
Spokespersons also talked about the importance of reinforcing the education of the community and the official and civil institutions to create a community that protects the woman and respect her human rights.
At the beginning of the conference, Suhair Farraj welcomed the participants, saying that this conference aims to raise the voice of the Palestinian woman that suffers from the injustice and persecution of the community, and the last crime in which Nancy Zboun was brutally killed is the recent example of the women's extended suffering.
Governor Hamayel also spoke at the conference and presented his condolences to the Palestinian society and to the victim's family saying that Zboun is a victim for some of the traditions that are practiced in the Palestinian society, which deal with the woman as a follower and held accountable for the mistakes of the others.
Hamayel also said that the Palestinian authority is similar to any authority in the world; it can't prevent the crime but can put harsh provisions on anyone who thinks to execute such crimes, stressing that the President Abbas issued an official ordinance to cancel the rule of mitigating circumstances in order to deter all the offenders who carry out their crimes under various pretexts and names, believing that this rule provides an excuse for them not to be convicted.
Khawla al-Azraq explained that Zboun has been suffering for 10 years, and she was beaten from the first day of marriage, and she suffered all these years aside with her three children. Zboun also said that she submitted pleas but no one helped her or responded to her request for a divorce.
Al-Azraq wondered about the role of the Family Protection Department units, courts and judicial authorities, questioning the reasons behind the postpone or delay of the divorce, accusing some of these institutions of being careless intentionally or unintentionally.
Al-Azraq confirmed that neither the occupation nor the economic situation must be taken as an obstacle before executing and reinforcing the work of the PA's executive devices, calling for the necessity to provide a law that rules the Palestinian society and renew the old law that was issued by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
She also pointed out to the need to end the policy of complicity due to the masculinity mentality in the Palestinian society and institutions, and it's important to follow-up the performance of these institutions.
The lawyer Farid al-Atrash, lawyer of the Independent Committee for Human Rights, said that the number of crimes that are committed against women is increasing in the Palestinian society, explaining that the committee has monitored the implementation of 90 murder crimes under different pretexts and names in the last years, and that 12 murder cases were also monitored this year.
At the end of the conference, a discussion was opened, journalists and representatives of women's organizations asked questions regarding the role of the official institutions and laws, and the role of the Palestinian civil society institutions in the case of Zboun and her children. They also touched upon the role of the investigative commission in ensuring accountability and setting up prevention mechanisms that would put a halt to such crimes in future.
Palestinian Women gathered in front of the peace center protesting against crimes that the Palestinian women are subjected to, and expressed their refusal for the means that the official and civil institutions use in dealing with such crimes, and called for issuing a modern law that protects the woman and her dignity. The participants raised slogans demanding to condemn the crime executer (Nancy's Husband) under the slogan "Not to kill Women."
