The Parliament of Cyprus approves a law that toughens the penalties for femicide

July 9 () –

The Parliament of Cyprus has approved this Thursday a law that classifies femicide as a separate crime with a prison sentence that can reach life imprisonment for the perpetrators.

“Femicide is a separate crime,” announced the president of the House of Representatives, Annita Demetriou, on her Twitter social network account.

“Today (a decisive step has been taken) on the long road towards the elimination of gender violence, giving visibility and including the gender dimension in the country’s legislation”, commented Demetriou, who presented the proposal.

He also explained that this measure – approved with 38 votes in favor and four against – has been taken “in response to the escalation of the phenomenon of femicide” that the country is experiencing.

“Each number corresponds to a person and specifically to a woman. A common denominator in the equation, the stigma of gender crime, as a result of the escalation of violence against women”, she expressed.

“These are not new elements, but legal aggravating circumstances, which will be taken into account when imposing the penalty for causing the death of a woman by illicit action or omission,” Demetriou clarified, in statements to the ERT News media.

According to the new law, the computation of the sentence will take into account as an aggravating circumstance that the death occurred as a result of sexual partner violence, torture or misogynistic violence.

Cases in which death occurs as a result of violence motivated by religious beliefs, sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as the commission of the crime of female genital mutilation, violence with the purpose or in the context of sexual or sexual exploitation, will also be aggravating. human trafficking, drug trafficking or organized crime.

“At the same time, a valuable parameter is added to the toolbox to eliminate the phenomenon: It gives us the possibility of an official registry of femicides,” the policy has clarified.

For her part, Rita Superman, a Cypriot deputy from the Disy Christian Democratic caucus, has indicated that the motive for the crime should be an integral part of sentencing. “It’s not about feminism, it’s about Human Rights,” she assured, according to the media ‘Cyprus Mail’.