Hege Storhaug, HRS
Bangladesh er ikke et land man forbinder med talibanmentalitet. Menneskerettighetsaktivister sier imidlertid at det utstedes dusinvis med liknende fatwaer i landet årlig, melder BBC
Four people including a Muslim cleric have been arrested in Bangladesh in connection with the death of 14-year-old girl who was publicly lashed.
The teenager was accused of having an affair with a married man, police say, and the punishment was given under Islamic Sharia law.
Hena Begum’s family members said a village court consisting of elders and clerics passed the sentence.
She was alleged to have had the affair with her cousin and received 80 lashes.
Fetterens familie skal også ha mishandlet jenta før hun ble drept, og jentas far skal ha blitt forsøkt presset til å betale en bot på 50 000 Taka. Politiet sier at de avventer obduksjonsrapporten før de kan bekrefte eller avkrefte om piskingen fort til at jenta døde. Politiet jakter også på 14 andre personer i tilknytning til dødsfallet.
«Her family members said she was admitted to a hospital after the incident and she died six days later. The village elders also asked the girl’s father to pay a fine of about 50,000 Taka (£430; $700),» district superintendent of police, AKM Shahidur Rahman, told the BBC.
He said it had not been established yet whether she died because of the punishment she received or another reason.
«We are still waiting for the post-mortem report. In the meantime, we are also looking for another 14 people including a teacher from a local madrassa in connection with this case,» Mr Rahman said.
Activists say dozens of fatwas – or religious rulings – are issued under Sharia law each year by village clergy in Bangladesh.
Myndighetene i Bangladesh la ned forbud i fjor mot shariadommer som dette.
This is the second reported fatality linked to a Sharia law punishment since the practice was outlawed last year by the High Court.
A 40-year-old woman in the district of Rajshahi died in December, days after she was publicly caned for allegedly having an affair with her stepson.
Nearly 90% of Bangladesh’s estimated 160 million population are Muslims, most of whom practise a moderate version of Islam.