Abolishing the legal codification of “honour crimes”

Though honour crimes are not prevalent in Lebanon, 66 honour crimes were reported between 1999 and 2007 according to a study conducted by the organisation Kafa (Enough Violence and Exploitation). Article 562 of the Lebanese Penal Code, which mitigated the penalty of killing women relatives or spouses on the grounds of “protecting family honour, gave the convicted perpetrators reduced penalties. The article was indicative of the state’s condoning of such crimes. It was only in August 2011 that Article 562 was repealed.