3-yr-old’s rape-murder near Bihar border fuels death penalty debate in Nepal
The rape and murder of a three-year-old girl in Nepal has sparked widespread protests and a parliamentary debate regarding the potential reintroduction of the death penalty. Lawmakers are currently discussing whether to amend the Constitution to allow capital punishment for heinous crimes, despite current international commitments.
Why it matters
This case highlights the tension between public demand for retributive justice in violent crimes and a nation's constitutional and international human rights obligations.
NEW DELHI: The rape and murder of a three-year-old girl in Nepal’s Bara district, around 25km from Raxaul in Bihar, triggered demands for the death penalty in parliament after days of protests, even as the principal suspect is a 16-year-old boy who, if convicted, would be sentenced under Nepal’s juvenile justice law. Lawmakers sought constitutional changes to allow capital punishment for heinous crimes, while RSP law minister Sobita Gautam and home minister Sudan Gurung told parliament that the govt could not introduce it without first amending the Constitution.The girl disappeared from Jeetpur-Simara on Aug 16 and her body was recovered two days later from an abandoned house near her home, leading to demonstrations in Simara, Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal.
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