An Arab man is on trial in Abu Dhabi for murdering his own sister in a horrific honor crime.
The man had been living with the victim and her son in the emirate after their mother traveled back to her home country.
According to Khaleej Times, the murder took place after the defendant "raised suspicions" over his sister's behavior, resulting in a heated argument between the two.
The defendant stabbed the victim 80 times and waited until she succumbed to her wounds before calling the police to report the crime.
The man's trial has been delayed
The accused is still detained, as his trial faces delays.
According to the defendant's lawyer, Hamed Al Manhali, this is due to the fact that the man's mother asked for time to reassess whether to drop her personal right in the case or not.
The lawyer added that she had also asked "for a copy of the medical report regarding her son's mental capacity and culpability in the murder."
Even if personal right charges are dropped in the murder case, the man will still face an official sentence.
Not the only case reported in recent years
Honor killings are unfortunately not uncommon in countries across the Arab world.
Earlier this year, the case of an Egyptian father who murdered his own daughter because she allegedly cheated on her husband made headlines across the region.
In another horrendous honor killing reported this year, an Iraqi newlywed was murdered because her husband suspected she was not a virgin.
Other cases of so called honor crimes that shook the Arab world in recent years include one of a man who murdered his wife in Jordan because she "ran away from their marital home."
Another involved a Germany-based Syrian man who live streamed his wife's murder on Facebook.
Honor killings are still a major issue in the Arab world
Honor killings, or crimes committed against women who are "seen as having transgressed social codes of honor," are still a major problem in several Arab countries, including Egypt, Jordan, and Syria.
While many of these crimes go unreported for often being committed by a close relative of the victim, only a few make it to the public through widespread media attention.
Though several Arab countries have taken legislative action in a bid to end the barbaric practice, more remains to be done in societies where many continue to justify violence against women.
Women's rights activists in the region have also recently noted that there are several legal loopholes still available to those who commit honor crimes.
