Syria Today | Syria amends honour crime law

Syria amends honour crime law

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree last month that increased the prison sentence for honour killings to a minimum of two years.

The amendment of Article 548 of Syria’s Penal Code increases the prison sentence for men who commit honour killings “unintentionally” after catching a female relative “by surprise” in the “act of committing adultery or having unlawful sex” from a maximum of one year to a minimum of two years.

The new law states: “He who catches his wife, sister, daughter, or mother by surprise in the act of committing adultery or having unlawful sex with another and then unintentionally kills or hurts either of them can benefit from attenuating circumstances, provided that he serves a prison term of no less than two years in the case of the killing.”

Syrian Justice Minister Ahmad Hamoud Younes told Syria’s state-run news agency SANA that the number of wife killings has increased recently on the pretext of adultery, crimes which were pardoned under the former Article 548.

Women’s rights groups in Syria, which have long campaigned for heavier penalties for honour killings, say the new law is a small step in the right direction. They maintain, however, the amendment does little to discourage honour crimes, stating that loopholes in the law still exist.