Pakistan's parliament approves amendments to controversial rape law
Pakistan’s parliament today approved a bill to amend the country’s controversial Islamic rape laws, which human rights groups have wanted scrapped altogether.
Key changes included dropping punishments of the death penalty and flogging for people convicted of having consensual sex outside marriage, said a parliamentary official.
Under the amendments, the crime is now punishable by five years in jail or a 10,000 rupees (€125) fine, the official said.
The parliament also gave judges the discretion to decide whether to try a rape case in a criminal or Islamic court, the latter requiring an alleged victim to present four witnesses. The changes angered Islamists who stormed out of the parliament, in particular to protest the change giving judges discretion to try a rape case in a criminal court, where four witnesses would not have to be presented.
