Three men indicted for attempted ‘honour killing’ of a gay teenager
Three men have been arrested for the attempted honour killing of a gay teenager (Pexels)
Three men have been indicted in Israel for the attempted honour killing of a gay teenager.
The 16-year-old gay teenager was stabbed outside the Beit Dror gay youth hostel in Tel Aviv last month, IsraelNationalNews.com reports.
The teenager told emergency services that he had been stabbed by his older brother and that he had been targeted because of his sexual orientation.
Two of the boy’s older brothers have been charged with attempted murder.
Two of the boy’s older brothers, who are 23 and 27, turned themselves into police four days later. They were charged yesterday, August 25 with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the July 26 stabbing.
The court has ordered that the men’s names not be released to protect the identity of their younger brother.
Meanwhile, another suspect, Jamal Cnaani, 24, was also charged with conspiracy to commit murder for the planned honour killing.
The boy’s two older brothers reportedly threatened to murder him when they found out that he was in a relationship with another boy. They demanded that he end the relationship.
They also allegedly beat their younger brother because of his sexual orientation. On one occasion, they are said to have beaten him until he lost consciousness.
In May, the teenager was allegedly kidnapped by his older brothers when he tried to escape and seek assistance from police.
In June, the teenager is said to have successfully escaped and went to stay in the Beit Dror hostel in Tel Aviv. It was there, in July, that his older brothers allegedly tracked him down and attempted to kill him alongside Cnaani.
Women and LGBT+ people are routinely targeted by honour violence.
Honour killings take place when it is believed that a family member has brought shame or dishonour on their family. Women and queer people are routinely targeted by this kind of violence.
An international study released earlier this year found that anti-gay honour violence is still used and encouraged across the world.
Researchers analysed attitudes to violence against LGBT+ people in India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Iran and England and recruited 922 students for the study.
The research, which was published in The Journal of Interpersonal Violence, found that men who live in countries where an honour culture exists are more likely to support anti-gay violence.
The study found that men in India and Pakistan were more likely to support anti-gay honour violence than others.
