- Title: Pakistan parliament passes legislation against 'honour killings'
- Date: 6th October 2016
- Summary: MULTAN, PAKISTAN (FILE- JULY 16, 2016) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** PEOPLE GATHERED OUTSIDE HOUSE OF QANDEEL BALOCH, SOCIAL MEDIA STAR AND MODEL WHO WAS STRANGLED BY BROTHER IN HONOUR KILLING AMBULANCE WORKERS CARRYING BODY OF BALOCH FROM HOUSE BODY BEING PLACED INTO AMBULANCE AMBULANCE LEAVING MULTAN, PAKISTAN (FILE-JULY 17, 2016) (REUTERS) POLICE CHIEF IN MULTAN, AZHAR AKRAM, HOLDING NEWS CONFERENCE/BROTHER OF QANDEEL BALOCH, MUHAMMAD WASEEM, WHO ADMITTED TO KILL HER FOR HONOUR, COVERED IN CLOTH STANDING BEHIND HIM WITH POLICE OFFICIALS (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) BROTHER OF QANDEEL BALOCH WHO ADMITTED TO KILL HER FOR HONOUR, MUHAMMAD WASEEM, SAYING: "Voice of reporters asking, "Do you have any regrets? Waseem saying, ""I have no regrets." WASEEM TALKING DERA GHAZI KHAN, PAKISTAN (FILE-JULY 17, 2016) (REUTERS) MOURNERS CARRYING BALOCH'S COFFIN FOR FUNERAL PRAYERS ON ROPE COT VARIOUS OF BALOCH'S COFFIN PLACED ON GROUND AND FUNERAL PRAYERS BEING OFFERED VARIOUS OF MOURNERS WITH RAISED HANDS PRAYING MOURNERS CARRYING BALOCH'S COFFIN TO CEMETERY KARACHI, PAKISTAN (FILE- MARCH 17, 2016) (REUTERS) SOCIAL MEDIA STAR AND MODEL QANDEEL BALOCH ARRIVING
- Embargoed: 21st October 2016 20:34
- Keywords: Pakistan honour killings parliament
- Location: ISLAMABAD, MULTAN, DERA GHAZI KHAN AND KARACHI, PAKISTAN
- City: ISLAMABAD, MULTAN, DERA GHAZI KHAN AND KARACHI, PAKISTAN
- Country: Pakistan
- Topics: Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA00252VD4QV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDIT CONTAINS ORIGINAL 4:3 MATERIAL
Pakistan's parliament unanimously passed legislation against "honour killings" on Thursday (October 6), three months after the murder of an outspoken social media star.
A joint session of the lower and upper houses of parliament, broadcast live on television, approved the new anti-honour killing law, removing a loophole in existing law that allows killers to walk free after being pardoned by family members.
Some 500 women are killed each year in Pakistan at the hands of family members over perceived damage to "honour" that can involve eloping, fraternising with men or any other infraction against conservative values relating to women.
In most cases, the victim is a woman and the killer is a relative who escapes punishment by seeking forgiveness for the crime from family members.
Under the new law, relatives can forgive convicts in the case of a death sentence, but they would still have to face a mandatory life sentence.
An anti-rape law, which makes it mandatory that a perpetrator gets 25 years in jail, was also passed in the same parliamentary session.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, whose documentary on honour killings won an Oscar this year, posted on Twitter: "Thank you to PM Nawaz Sharif for keeping his promise."
She said in February she wanted to start a discourse about the honour killings and that the killers should go to jail.
The government of Prime Minister Sharif has faced mounting pressure to pass the law after the brother of social media star Qandeel Baloch was arrested in connection with her strangling death. The brother said he was incensed by her often risqué posts on social media. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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