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FACTBOX: From Bangladesh to Iran, countries where rape carries the death penalty

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Naimul Karim, Thomson Reuters Foundation

<p>DHAKA - Bangladesh approved the death penalty for rape on Tuesday following nationwide protests over an alleged gang rape and an online video showing a group of men sexually assaulting a woman.</p><p>Bangladesh has seen a surge in sexual crime in recent years, with nearly 1,000 incidents reported in the first nine months of this year, more than a fifth of them gang rapes, according to rights group Ain o Salish Kendra.</p><p>Under an amendment to the nation&#x27;s rape law, anyone convicted of raping a woman or child can now be punished with &quot;death or rigorous imprisonment for life.&quot;</p><p>Here are six other countries where rapists can be punished by death:</p><div><strong>1. India</strong></div><p>An executive order passed in 2018 approved the death penalty for rapists of girls below the age of 12 in India. The decision was taken in response to nationwide outrage over a series of rape cases.</p><p>Rapists with previous convictions and perpetrators of sexual assaults that lead to the death of the victim, or leave them in a persistent vegetative state, may also be punished by death, according to the country&#x27;s criminal law.</p><div><strong>2. Pakistan</strong></div><p>Under the Pakistan Penal Code, offenders involved in gang rape can be sentenced to either death or life imprisonment.</p><p>Last month, Prime Minister Imran Khan said he wanted rapists to be chemically castrated or publicly executed after the rape of a woman on a highway sparked protests.</p><div><strong>3. Saudi Arabia</strong></div><p>Rape is a criminal offense under Saudi Arabia&#x27;s Sharia law and involves a range of penalties such as flogging and execution. At least 150 executions took place in Saudi Arabia in 2019, eight of which were for rape.</p><div><strong>4. Iran</strong></div><p>With at least 250 executions last year, Iran conducted the second-highest number of executions in the world last year after China, according to Amnesty International. Twelve of the executions were for rape, under the country&#x27;s Islamic Penal Code.</p><div><strong>5. United Arab Emirates</strong></div><p>Under UAE law, coerced sex with a woman is punishable by death. The law states that coercion is presumed if the victim is less than 14 years of age at the time of the crime.</p><p>The UAE did not record any executions in 2019, but imposed at least 18 death sentences for crimes including murder, rape and armed robbery.</p><div><strong>6. China</strong></div><p>The country&#x27;s criminal law states that anyone who rapes a woman or has sexual intercourse with a girl aged below 14 can face death if the victim dies or is seriously injured, if the victim is raped in public or if the perpetrator commits multiple rapes.</p><div><em>Sources: Amnesty International, International Labour Organization, Death Penalty Database</em></div>

<p>DHAKA - Bangladesh approved the death penalty for rape on Tuesday following nationwide protests over an alleged gang rape and an online video showing a group of men sexually assaulting a woman.<br /> </p>

DHAKA - Bangladesh approved the death penalty for rape on Tuesday following nationwide protests over an alleged gang rape and an online video showing a group of men sexually assaulting a woman.

FACTBOX: From Bangladesh to Iran, countries where rape carries the death penalty

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FACTBOX: From Bangladesh to Iran, countries where rape carries the death penalty

Naimul Karim,

Thomson Reuters Foundation

Published Oct 13, 2020 11:13 PM PHT

Read More:

rape

crime

death penalty

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