Pakistan's national assembly passed legislation on
Thursday closing a loophole that allowed people who killed in the name of
"honour" to go free, mandating life imprisonment even if the victim's
relatives forgive the murder.
Honour killings "claim the lives of hundreds of
victims every year", the bill stated, adding that the legislation was
"essential in order to prevent these crimes from being repeatedly
committed".
Rights groups and politicians have for years called for
tougher laws to tackle perpetrators of violence against women in Pakistan and
the move follows a slew of high-profile killings in the country.
The perpetrators of so-called honour killings -- in
which the victim, normally a woman, is killed by a relative -- often walk free
because they can seek forgiveness for the crime from another family member.
A 2005 amendment to the law pertaining to honour
killings prevented men who kill female relatives pardoning themselves as an
"heir" of the victim.
But punishment was left to a judge's discretion when
other relatives of the victim forgive the killer -- a loophole which critics
say is exploited.
The amendments passed Thursday and published on the
National Assembly website mandate judges to sentence someone who kills in the
name of "honour" to life imprisonment, even if they have been
forgiven, said senior opposition lawmaker
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