Algeria law criminalizes violence against women
Algeria's parliament has passed a law that criminalizes violence against women, a move criticized by both a faction of lawmakers as well as a prominent human rights group.
More than half of Algeria's 462 members of parliament attended the vote in the capital city of Algiers on Thursday.
The legislation makes killing one’s spouse punishable by the death sentence, and allows a judge to impose up to a 20-year prison term for domestic violence resulting in injury.
The vote drew the ire of members of the El Adala party who said the new law seeks to break up the family and take revenge on the man in general.
Amnesty International also voiced opposition to the legislation, calling for an amendment to drop a clause which allows the survivor of domestic violence to pardon the perpetrator.
“The provision fails to confront the reality of the power relations…. A failure to withdraw it (the clause) could expose women who come forward to report domestic abuse to serious risks of violence or coercion to force them to withdraw a complaint,” Amnesty added.
Instances of domestic violence in Algeria claim the lives of between 100 and 200 women each year, according to statistics published by local media.
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