Middle East

MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
NOVEMBER 7, 2020 4:37 AM UPDATED 12 HOURS AGO

UAE cancels lenient penalties for 'honour killings'

DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates said on Saturday it was cancelling lenient penalties for so-called “honour killings” and amending inheritance laws for residents as part of a reform of personal and family laws in the Middle East trade hub.

Human rights groups say thousands of women and girls are killed across the Middle East and South Asia each year by family members angered at perceived damage to their “honour”. This could include eloping, fraternizing with men or any transgression of conservative values regarding women.

A statement from the UAE federal government carried by the official news agency WAM said it had cancelled legal clauses that allowed judges to issue merciful sentences in “honour crimes”. The Emirati government said those crimes will now be treated by courts as normal murder cases.

Residents of the Gulf Arab state will also have the right to choose inheritance laws to be used in each case, instead of the UAE legislation based on sharia (Islamic religious law).

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