The Cabinet approved on Tuesday a revision to a civil law aiming to shift the legal status of animals away from objects.

The Justice Ministry said the Cabinet approved adding a new clause stating that "animals are not objects" to Article 98 of the Civil Code.  

The ministry said the new clause recognizes the legal status of animals, adding that it plans to submit the revision to the National Assembly around Friday. 

Under the existing law, animals are labelled as objects, which means animal abusers at the most only face penalties for property damage. 

The ministry said if the revision secures parliamentary approval, the level of punishment for animal abuse and compensation for related damages will be raised.