Bangladesh to bring in death penalty for rapists after weekend of protests
President expected to approve the ordnance on Tuesday
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Amid nationwide protests following a surge in sexual crimes, Bangladesh’s cabinet on Monday approved an increase in the maximum punishment in rape cases from life imprisonment to the death penalty.
Law Minister Anisul Haq said that the cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, approved the proposal to make the death penalty the highest punishment for rape.
"The law needed to be amended quickly...(Cabinet) has decided an ordinance will be promulgated tomorrow, with the approval of the president, as the parliament is not holding sessions currently," he said.
The country has seen a surge of sexual crimes in recent years, with nearly 889 incidents reported between January and September, more than a fifth of them gang rapes, according to human rights group Ain-o-Salish Kendra. According to the group, at least 41 victims died.
The recent protests broke out after a video of a group of men stripping and attacking a woman in a southeastern district of Noakhali went public.
An investigation by an autonomous state body, the National Human Rights Commission, found the woman in the video had been raped repeatedly and terrorised with weapons by one of the accused for over a year.
In another case, a woman was dragged into a college dorm from a car where she was travelling with her husband and was gang-raped. Several members of the ruling Awami League’s student wing were arrested.
Placards bearing messages such as “No mercy to rapists”, “Hang the rapists” and “Stop rape culture” were seen in protests over the weekend around the capital city of Dhaka.
“I was always shy and stayed away from protest rallies and processions as I am an introvert. But now I feel I can no longer stay silent. These rapes just can’t go on and the rapists can’t go scot-free. Something has to change,” Saima Ajmeri, a 21-year-old university student told Al Jazeera.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments