Law would ban relatives of the accused from testifying against them
A new law in Afghanistan could allow men to abuse their wives,
children and sisters and not face criminal prosecution by banning the
relatives of an accused person from testifying against them.
If passed, the bill would make it much more difficult for victims to
bring cases of abuse to court which often happen as they most often
occur within the confines of the family home, The Guardian has reported.The small change to a section of the criminal code Prohibition of Questioning an Individual as a Witness would also prevent doctors, children and defence lawyers from testifying in a case.
The bill has been passed by both houses of Parliament but is awaiting the signature of the conservative President Hamid Karzai, who by choosing to sign it will bring it into force. Campaigners are now calling on Karzai to refuse to sign the bill they assert will weaken “already inadequate” legal protections for women.
“President Karzai should reject a law that will effectively let batterers of women and girls off the hook,” Brad Adams, the Asia director of Human Rights Watch said in a statement.
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