MP Fatma Adel, a member of the House of Representatives for the Al-Adl Party, submitted a draft law amending some provisions of Penal Code No. 58 of 1937 that would abolish the reduced penalty in crimes of killing a wife in the name of honor and toughen the penalties for rape and indecent assault. Details of the bill were published on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
The bill amends Article 237 so that whoever kills their spouse, their former spouse, or a person caught in the act with their spouse is punished with the penalty for intentional murder, as applicable, and surprise, revenge, protecting honor or reputation, or family and social considerations are not counted as grounds for mitigation or exemption. It amends Article 17 to bar the use of leniency to reduce the penalty in aggravated sexual assault crimes below the minimum set by law.
The bill makes life imprisonment the base penalty for rape under Article 267, and death in aggravated cases, including when the victim is under 18, when the offender is one of her ascendants, among those responsible for her upbringing, or has authority over her, when there are multiple offenders, or when the crime leads to serious injury, permanent disability, or death. It sets a minimum of 15 years of aggravated imprisonment for indecent assault by force or threat, and 10 years for indecent assault of a child under 18 without force. It adds a new article barring the victim’s clothing, appearance, relationships, marital status, or prior or subsequent conduct from being considered grounds for exemption or mitigation, unless that conduct is itself a crime.
Article 237, in its current text, punishes a husband who surprises his wife in the act of adultery and kills her on the spot, along with her partner, with detention instead of the penalties set in Articles 234 and 236. If passed, the bill would apply to crimes committed after it takes effect, from the day after its publication in the Official Gazette.
Photo: Abdelrhman 1990 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
