The proposal to give the harshest punishment to the perpetrators of rape was approved by the Bangladesh cabinet.
Bangladesh’s Law Minister Anisul Haque has said that a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has approved the death penalty for rape convicts.
He told reporters that the proposed law provides for the death penalty as the maximum punishment for sexual offenders. The proposal, after cabinet clearance, will soon see President Abdul Hamid issue an ordinance to increase the maximum punishment for rapists from life imprisonment to death.
Minister Anisul  Haque said they tabled a proposal at a cabinet meeting to quickly amend the current law on sexual harassment.
Bangladesh has been rocked by protests over several recent incidents of rape and sexual harassment. Unprecedented public outrage has erupted in the streets of the country. In this context, the government has decided to introduce the death penalty as a punishment instead of the law, said Haque.
