This is good, or I should say better. However, I am finding my mouth gaping open that people were sentenced to death for extra-marital sex.

Pakistan's lower house of Parliament passed amendments to the country's rape laws Wednesday, ditching the death penalty for extramarital sex and revising a clause on making victims produce four witnesses to prove rape cases.

Consensual sex outside marriage would remain a crime punishable by five years in prison or a $165 fine, said a parliamentary official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

What they will reform the law to look like is yet to be seen. Musharraf was supportive of this decision.

Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, praised lawmakers for approving the amendments and criticized fundamentalists for their "unnecessary" opposition and their claims that his government was acting against Islam.

"I have taken a firm decision to change these unjust rape laws as it was necessary to amend them to protect women," Musharraf said in a televised address to the nation. He urged the Senate, dominated by government allies, to swiftly approve the measure.

As the article mentions, Pakistan's rape laws came under question after Muktar Mai was sentenced to gang rape and came out with her story, gaining the support of international rights activists to abolish Hudood.

via WaPo.

2 Comments

November 16, 2006 5:43 PM

[0+]  chem_fem said:

I REALLY hope this works out right. Last time was really disappointing.

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November 16, 2006 6:23 PM

[0+]  swmbo said:

I'm old enough to remember when New York State reformed the law that required an independent witness to prove a rape charge (talking early '70s here). But sharia requiring four witnesses is really taking the male fear of false cries of rape too far. Any ideas why that fear is so strong?

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