ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Despite nationwide protests by hard-liners, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf on Friday signed into law an amendment to the country's controversial rape statute to make it easier to prosecute sexual-assault cases.
Human-rights activists have long condemned Pakistan's old law for punishing — instead of protecting — rape victims, while providing legal safeguards for their attackers.
The new legislation, known as the Protection of Women Bill, was supported by Musharraf's government as part of efforts by Islamabad to soften the country's hard-line Islamic image. .
The changes take effect immediately, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sher Afghan said during a nationally televised broadcast.
Under the new law, which was approved last week by Parliament, judges can choose whether a rape case should be tried in a criminal court — where the four-witness rule would not apply — or under the old Islamic law.
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It also drops the death penalty for sex outside of marriage.
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