Pakistan’s rape law to be amended

Pakistan’s Senate overcame opposition from hard-line Muslim lawmakers and voted Thursday to amend its rape law to make prosecution of sexual assault cases easier.

Rights activists have been critical of the rape law for punishing victims instead of protecting them, and for providing legal safeguards for their attackers.

The Protection of Women Bill comes amid efforts by Islamabad to soften the country’s hard-line Islamic image.

The bill would drop the death penalty for people found to have had sex outside marriage, though they could face a five-year prison term or a fine equivalent to $165.

Judges also would be able to choose whether to try a case in a criminal court or an Islamic court, which should make it easier to convict rapists. Under the current law, rape victims can raise a case only in the Islamic court. It requires testimony from four witnesses, making trial of an alleged rapist almost impossible.

The bill was passed in the Senate a week after it cleared the National Assembly. It now goes before President Pervez Musharraf, who is expected to sign it.