LISBON, Portugal: Women’s rights groups in Portugal are protesting a court decision that quoted the Bible and a 19th-century law in justifying a suspended sentence for a man convicted of assaulting his ex-wife because she allegedly committed adultery.
The judges on Tuesday expressed “some understanding” for the attacker, noting the Bible says an adulterous woman should be punished by death. They also cited a 1886 Portuguese law that gave only symbolic sentences to men who killed their wives for suspected adultery.
The man, who used a bat spiked with nails to assault the woman, was given a 15-month suspended sentence and a fine of €1,750 (Dh7,558). A prosecutor’s appeal requesting a custodial sentence was rejected.
The written ruling from October 11 sparked outrage on Portuguese social media, with street protests planned Friday.
