Syria: No Exceptions for ‘Honor Killings’ | Human Rights Watch
The Syrian government should treat all murders alike and not make exceptions for so-called “honor killings,” Human Rights Watch said today. On July 1, 2009, President Bashar al-Assad abolished Article 548 of the Penal Code, which had waived punishment for a man found to have killed a female family member in a case “provoked” by “illegitimate sex acts,” as well as for a husband who killed his wife because of an extramarital affair. The article also lowered penalties if a killing was found to be based on a “suspicious state” concerning a female family member. The article that replaced it still allows for mitigated punishment for “honor killings,” but requires a sentence of at least two years.
“Two years is better than nothing, but it is hardly enough for murder,” said Nadya Khalife, Middle East and North Africa women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Syrian government should punish all murders alike – no exceptions.”
The new text of Article 548 reads: “He who catches his wife, sister, mother or daughter by surprise, engaging in an illegitimate sexual act and kills or injures them unintentionally (¿?) must serve a minimum of two years in prison.” In the previous text, the killer benefited from a complete “exemption of penalty“.
Meanwhile, dictator president al-Assad’s wife brags in facebook about her stylish fashion code. It’s good to have a tiny conscience.
Tags Technorati: Syria, Honor Killings, Human Rights Watch, HRW, Nadya Khalife,
[...] all. Surely, you would be angry afterwards. But it would be good to know that Syrian first lady is more interested in her shoes than in this kind of things happening in her country. Another case of lazy [...]