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Pakistan Removes ‘Honour Killing’ Loop Hole In Legislation

'Honour killings' will now be punishable by prison time.

A bill passed on Thursday in Pakistan means that men convicted of killing their female relatives for the sake of ‘honour’ will no longer be able to escape punishment.

The minimum punishment will now be 25 years in prison for ‘honour killings’.

Previously in Pakistan, family members could legally pardon killers under Islamic ‘blood money’ laws. The law was originally passed in 1990, and according to The Age, critics suggested that it was most problematic because the murderers from wealthy or powerful backgrounds could walk away free by offering families of the victim a large financial reward.

The Guardian reports that the blood money law and retribution law sparked an ‘epidemic’ in honour killings, with 1,096 reported in 2015.

Examples of the ‘shame’ the victims brought on families includes helping a friend to elope and marrying men of their choice.

Former senator Sughra Imam, who helped introduce the new bill initially, hopes that this will prevent perpetrators from escaping conviction.

“The original bill was more stringent, but nonetheless, the new law will deter honour killings in the future because perpetrators will not be able to avoid convictions.”

A new law was also passed to prevent rape, which will speed up rape trials and make DNA testing mandatory.

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