Tribal 'jalwa' to be restricted to killer, his father

Jordan

Published: 2019-07-14 17:21

Last Updated: 2024-03-27 17:00


Interior Minister, Salameh Hammad
Interior Minister, Salameh Hammad

Jordanian Minister of Interior, Salameh Hammad revealed on Sunday, July 14, 2019, that the government is planning to issue a new Jordanian charter regulating the tribal "jalwa" that will be later sent to the House of Representatives.

Hammad said that the charter will include items of a conference agreed upon by dignitaries of tribes and representatives of the opinion and legislation bureau.

"Jalwa", a term first coined by tribes, entails the forced relocation of a clan if one of its members murders someone or commits other serious crimes like rape, in a bid to avoid friction between the two tribes, both of the victim’s and the murderer’s, if they were living in the same area.

It is known that all family members until the fifth great grandfather should be relocated. However, based on the new charter, only the killer and his father will be deported, where they only move from one district to another.

The charter also included that the amount of diyeh (blood money) will be set by the court chief.

Hammad said in a statement during a meeting with the Committee on Public Liberties and Human Rights Parliamentary, that there are previous demands to reduce the number of the family members who have to be relocated and determine the blood money, but no decision can be taken unless it is subjected to the law.