Lebanon repealed one of the longstanding laws that allow rapists to avoid criminal prosecution if they marry their victims. It was the latest in a string of countries in the region to reverse such provision under pressure from Arab women’s group. Women’s groups have agitated for years for the laws to be repealed, saying they further victimize survivors.
Winston Blackmore and James Marion Oler face up to five years in prison after being found guilty in the first real test of Canada's polygamy law, enacted 127 years ago. British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Sheri Ann Donegan said: “Mr. Blackmore confirmed that all of his marriages were celestial marriages in accordance with FLDS rules and practices.” “Having concluded the Crown has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that James Oler … practiced a marriage with more than one person at the same time, I find Mr. Oler guilty of practicing polygamy,” Donegan said.
