Story highlights Rape clause dates back to a 1911 Ottoman legal codeEight other Arab countries have similar marriage loophole(CNN) Jordan's Parliament has voted to repeal a controversial clause that spares rapists punishment if they marry their victims and stay married for at least three years, according to Jordan's official news agency. The vote count was not disclosed to members of Parliament and the motion was not discussed, Jordanian MP Dima Tahboub told CNN. Tahboub is a member of Jordan's Islamist Islah bloc, which voted unanimously in favor of annulling the legal loophole. "The annulment is in the greatest interest of the Jordanian people and is in harmony with the Islamic Sharia," Tahboub said. Article 308 originates from a 1911 Ottoman legal code, largely based on the Napoleonic penal code of 1810, according to the official news agency.

Source: CNN August 01, 2017 13:52 UTC