Bangladesh will ban questions probing the "immoral character" of rape victims in criminal cases, authorities said Tuesday, after a long campaign by rights groups against humiliating interrogations of traumatised survivors.
Experts say the country's Evidence Act, a 19th-century relic of the British colonial era, has been routinely used to discredit the testimony of victims during court cross-examinations and police investigations.
Women activists have spent more than a decade demanding the law be amended and last year a coalition of rights groups petitioned Bangladesh's top court for its repeal.
Justice Minister Anisul Huq told AFP that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's cabinet resolved to remove the character evidence provisions from the law.
He said the law currently allows those accused of rape to "ask questions as to the immoral character of the victim" but this would be banned, with parliament expected to formalise the decision by June.
"This is another step towards empowerment of women," he said.
Prominent activist Nina Goswami of the local Ain o Salish Kendra rights group hailed the move as a "remarkable achievement".
She said character evidence had hindered justice for decades, with many survivors deciding not to seek charges against their attackers out of fear of social humiliation.
"This will now stop," she said.
Last year the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) said character evidence had been used to cast doubt on victim testimony, making it difficult to secure guilty verdicts.
Rights groups have said the number of rapes has increased alarmingly in recent years, blaming legal loopholes and a culture of impunity for violence against women.
National anger over the issue has boiled over into sustained public protests, as in 2020 when members of the student wing of Hasina's party were arrested and charged in a gang-rape case that outraged the public.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)