A Jordanian youth was charged with premeditated murder yesterday after allegedly stabbing to death his divorced teenaged sister because she "knew many men," police said.

The suspect, 18, "stabbed to death his 17-year-old divorced sister with a kitchen knife because he claimed she beat their mother and that she was mean and knew many men," a police spokesman said.

"Police arrested him and he confessed to the crime," in the Red Sea port city of Aqaba.

Murder is punishable by the death penalty in Jordan, but in the case of so-called "honour killings," a court usually commutes or reduces sentences, particularly if the victim's family urges leniency.

Around 15-20 women are murdered each year in Jordan in the name of honour, despite government efforts to fight such crimes. So far this year, there have been 15 reported.

In August, a man was charged with shooting dead his pregnant sister for marrying without family permission, after luring her to another brother's wedding in a conspiracy with him.

In another incident, a 41-year-old man was accused of murdering his 16-year-old niece to "cleanse" the family's honour after she was raped.

And in July, a 20-year-old man stabbed his married sister and smashed her head with a rock after accusing her of "immoral behaviour."