http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/imam-held-over-death-by-caning/story-e6frg6so-1225974106761
Imam held over death by caning From: AFP December 21, 2010 12:00AM A Muslim cleric has been arrested in northwest Bangladesh following the death of a woman who was publicly caned by an Islamic court. The caning was punishment for an extramarital affair. Sufia Begum, 50, was accused of having an affair with her stepson and was sentenced by a religious court in her village in Rajshahi district, the local police chief said yesterday. But the stepson said he was forced to make a false confession to the village councillors. "Village elders tied 10 canes together and beat her legs," police chief Azizul Haq Sarker said. Besides the imam, the woman who carried out the beating for the elders has also been arrested. Ms Begum was whipped 40 times on November 12, the local media reported. She was taken to hospital on November 19. "She became seriously ill and was hospitalised after the caning, and she died last week," Mr Sarker said, adding that police launched an investigation following a complaint from Ms Begum's brother. Ms Begum died on December 14, reportedly from an infection in her kidneys that was a result of the prolonged caning. In conservative rural parts of Muslim-majority Bangladesh, civil rights groups say it is common for women to be publicly whipped for "crimes" such as adultery, despite a High Court ban on such religious punishments. In some cases, rape victims have been flogged for being a "participant" in the sexual assault upon them. In July, Bangladesh's High Court outlawed punishments handed down by fatwa, or religious edict, following a series of public interest litigation cases by local human rights groups. About 90 per cent of Bangladesh's 146 million people are Muslim, and most live in the poor rural areas. Related Coverage a.. Imam arrested after flogged woman dies The Australian, 4 hours ago b.. Hundreds watch as pair caned for kissing Adelaide Now, 10 days ago c.. Canings out of control, says Amnesty Herald Sun, 6 Dec 2010 d.. Man faces cane for vandalism Adelaide Now, 25 Jun 2010 e.. Reinforcing the rights of women Adelaide Now, 10 May 2010 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
