Perpetrators will get life in prison for femicide.
Catherine Falls Commercial, Getty Images
Cyprus MPs have approved legislation making femicide a crime punishable by life imprisonment, as domestic violence rises on the Mediterranean island.
The bill sponsored by Annita Demetriou, the country’s first female speaker of parliament, was passed on Thursday.
Demetriou told parliament that victims were women killed at the hands of men they trusted, who exerted power over them.
Twenty femicides have been committed in Cyprus since 2019, including the murder last month of an 82-year-old woman by her 84-year-old husband.
The murders also include five women and two young girls slain in 2019 by a serial killer.
Cases of domestic violence in Cyprus sharply increased by 67% last year from 2020, and by 159% compared to 2019 before the arrival of Covid-19 and lockdowns, according to police data.
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
In times of uncertainty you need journalism you can trust. For 14 free days, you can have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. Journalism strengthens democracy. Invest in the future today. Thereafter you will be billed R75 per month. You can cancel anytime and if you cancel within 14 days you won’t be billed.
