Crackdown on 'honor killings'
From CNN Producer Syed Mohsin Naqvi
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- The Pakistan National Assembly has passed a bill that would strengthen criminal laws against "honor killings," with offenders being sentenced to anywhere from 10 years to life in prison or death.
Opposition members chanted anti-government slogans and disrupted house proceedings, then boycotted the vote to protest the imprisonment of opposition leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, who has been held in captivity for a year.
Facing no opposition, the assembly agreed to set aside protocol and pass the bill. The opposition parties contested its legality, saying the assembly did not follow proper procedure in passing it.
The bill treats honor killings -- also called "Karo-Kari" -- as murders and requires the head of the affected family to report them.
Each year, hundreds of women in Pakistan believed to have brought shame to their families are victims of such killings, nearly all of which go unpunished, according to Amnesty International.
Shame can be caused by divorcing abusive husbands, being accused of having "illicit" relationships or having been raped.
Though "honor killings" have long been considered crimes under Pakistani law, they are rarely investigated, an Amnesty International report said.
In addition to urging that Pakistan enact laws to ensure equal protection for women, Amnesty International has called on the government of Pakistan to take preventive measures and protective measures.
