RAMALLAH, May 19, 2014 (WAFA) – President
Mahmoud Abbas on Monday amended Article 98 of the Palestinian Criminal Law no.
12 of 1960, abolishing the ease in punishment against crimes of honor killing
committed against women.
Hassan al-Uri, Abbas’ legal advisor, said the
amendment aims at abolishing reduced penalties when legally dealing with cases
of the so called ‘honor killing.’
Under the amendment, the judiciary does not
have the authority to seek a light sentence against the defendant if the victim
is a female who was murdered on ‘honor killing’ grounds.
To
be noted, the courts often grant clemency in cases of so-called honor killings.
M.N./T.R.
