Jordan Ends Law Allowing Rapists to Avoid Penalty by Marrying Victims

The lower house of the Parliament of Jordan on Tuesday voted to abolish Article 308, which allows sexual assault perpetrators to escape punishment by marrying their victims, local media reported.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to The Jordan Times newspaper, the lower house of parliament voted to repeal the law following a heated debate.

The announcement of the abolition of Article 308 was reportedly met with cheers by over 200 men and women who were present at the session to state their objection to the law.

According to the outlet, Prime Minister Hani Mulki said that the government was ready to support the repeal of the law to help protect family values.

The decision still has to be passed by the Senate and approved by Jordan's King Abdullah II.

The Human Rights Watch non-governmental organization urged the Jordanian lawmakers on the eve of the vote to remove the article. Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at the organisation called it "a blight on Jordan’s human rights record."

Similar provisions have already been repealed in Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia, while Lebanon is considering a repeal and Bahrain is looking into an amendment.