Death penalty for rapists in Bangladesh

A women’s rights activist among those protesting against gender based violence holds a placard outside the Parliament in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photo: AP Photo/ Mahmud Hossain Opu

Bangladesh's Cabinet on Monday approved an increase in the maximum punishment in rape cases to death from life imprisonment after a series of recent sexual assaults triggered protests on streets and in social media.

Cabinet spokesman Khandaker Anwarul Islam said President Abdul Hamid is likely to issue an ordinance amending the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act because Parliament is not in session.