Death of Shamseddine: what constitutes an honor killing and does it have legal value ?

La notion de crime d'honneur ne figure pas dans le Code pénal. Illustration MAXPPP – Roland Macri

The death of Shamseddine, this schoolboy who was beaten on April 5 as he left his school, gave rise to numerous comments. In several media, a term is emerging, that of “honor killing”.

The circumstances of the death of Shamseddine, whose funeral takes place this Tuesday, April 9, are revealed and five people have been arrested. The public prosecutor indicated that two of those indicted are the brothers of a young woman aged 15, with whom the victim allegedly had exchanges.

Interactions with the sister of two suspects at the heart of the mobile

"Their sister corresponded with people her age on topics relating to sexuality", indicates the prosecutor. The two brothers could then have wanted to protect their sister's reputation, which quickly gave rise to a term, that of "honor killing".

"Fearing for her reputation and that of their family, they had ordered several boys to no longer have contact with her. They then learned that the victim boasted of being able to speak freely with their sister, having not yet had to undergo pressure from them", indicates the press release from the prosecutor.

Interviewed by the Huffington Post, sociologist Margot Déage recalls that behind this notion, which has no legal value in France, "this is obviously the idea of ​​men's control over women and their sexuality".

The weight of the community

The notion of honor, is linked to the lineage, to  purity and therefore to mothers and sisters who must be respectable. These are the men who are responsible for defending this honor, specifies the sociologist, who recalls that in this matter, honor intersects with & quot;reputation" mentioned by the prosecutor, who is very linked to the community.

Honor killing refers, according to Amnesty International, "an ancient, time-honored practice by culture rather than religion, rooted in a complex code that allows a man to kill or abuse a woman in his family or his partner because of immoral behavior real or supposed".

The honor killing therefore concerns, according to the NGO, rather women, victims of men, mainly "perpetrated in Muslim countries or within Muslim immigrant communities". La Croix recalls that in French legislation , the notion of honor killings disappeared in 1791. The term can no longer constitute an attenuating circumstance, in the same way as crimes of passion.