On december 14, 2001, the Jordanian cabinet changed...

On december 14, 2001, the Jordanian cabinet changed the law on so-called honour crimes - when a man kills a woman relative accused of dishonouring the family - doing away with an exemption from the death penalty for those convicted. The law had stipulated that those accused of killing a relative "caught in the act of adultery" or a situation they considered "immoral" could be exempted from the heavy sentences, including death, prescribed for murder. The Jordan Times reported that 18 women had been killed in Jordan in 2001 in "crimes of honour."

(Sources: The New York Times, 14/12/2001)