Syria has scrapped a law limiting the length of sentences handed down to men convicted of killing female relatives they suspect of having illicit sex.
Women's groups had long demanded that Article 548 be scrapped, arguing it decriminalised "honour" killings.
Activists say some 200 women are killed each year in honour cases by men who expect lenient treatment under the law.
The new law replaces the existing maximum sentence of one year in jail with a minimum jail term of two years.
Justice Minister Ahmad Hamoud Younis said the change was made by the decree of President Bashar al-Assad, following a recent increase in "wife-killings... on the pretext of adultery".
The new law says a man can still benefit from extenuating circumstances in crimes of passion or honour "provided he serves a prison term of no less than two years in the case of killing". Read more ...
Women's groups had long demanded that Article 548 be scrapped, arguing it decriminalised "honour" killings.
Activists say some 200 women are killed each year in honour cases by men who expect lenient treatment under the law.
The new law replaces the existing maximum sentence of one year in jail with a minimum jail term of two years.
Justice Minister Ahmad Hamoud Younis said the change was made by the decree of President Bashar al-Assad, following a recent increase in "wife-killings... on the pretext of adultery".
The new law says a man can still benefit from extenuating circumstances in crimes of passion or honour "provided he serves a prison term of no less than two years in the case of killing". Read more ...
Source: BBC
H/T: Jihad Watch
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