Rape convictions will now carry the death penalty in Bangladesh.
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Patrick Siccoli / Sipa
Bangladesh will make rape punishable by death after a series of sexual assaults that have sparked outraged protests across the country for days, the government said on Monday.
A decree amending the maximum penalty for rape, previously life imprisonment, was approved at a cabinet meeting by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, under pressure including from members of her own party.
The president will promulgate the decree "which takes effect" on Tuesday, Justice Minister Anisul Huq said.
In recent days, protests have multiplied in Dhaka and other cities across the country to demand an end to what is seen as a culture of impunity, after a video went viral showing several men stripping and undressing. attacking a woman from a disadvantaged community.
Only a small proportion of rape victims get justice, according to women's rights activists.
1,718 inmates on death row
Anger had been simmering for the previous week after the arrest of several members of the student wing of the ruling party, accused of the gang rape of a woman in the town of Sylhet (North).
Some protesters have called for Sheikh Hasina's resignation, an unusual display of mistrust in a country where such open criticism of the government is rare.
Protests continued in Dhaka on Monday, bringing together hundreds of people despite heavy monsoon rains.
The arrest of four student leaders over the weekend heightened the protesters' discontent.
Bangladesh (168 million inhabitants) regularly executes convicts despite criticism from human rights groups.
Since 2013, 23 people have been hanged and the number of people awaiting execution stands at at least 1,718, according to a local activist group.
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