Bangladesh approves death penalty for rape convicts

DHAKA (Agencies) - The Bangladesh government has announced death penalty for rape convicts in the country.

According to the country’s Law and Justice Minister Anisul Huq, the decision was approved by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during a cabinet meeting.

The punishment was announced on October 12 after which the Bangladesh prime minister faced criticism from her own party and the opposition.

According to reports, Bangladesh witnessed protests countrywide that erupted after a woman was stripped and sexually assaulted by a group of men in a village in the south.

A video of the incident went viral. The police arrested eight suspects in the case one month after the crime. Following this, hundreds of Bangladeshis came to the streets and protested.

According to human rights activists, at least 1,000 rapes have been reported in Bangladesh this year.