Girl,14, lashed to death after being convicted of adultery

By: Sarah Weiss 

A little girl was arrested, charged and convicted of adultery, according to court proceedings in Bangladesh.

Hena Akhter was only 14-years-old, the youngest of five siblings, who lived in Shariatpur, Bangladesh. Her problems began when her married cousin, Mahbub Khan, who was three times her age, returned to her village and became fond of Hena.

Khan started following and harassing her on the way to and from school, where she was in the 7th grade. So the father of Hena filed a petition to the elders of the village in order to put a stop to his behavior. Khan was fined $1,000 payable to the Hena's family and was ordered to leave her alone.

He did not. Months later, he seemed to be waiting for her to come to his house. Hena went outside to use the bathroom. That's when Khan jumped behind her, gagged her with cloth, forced her behind some bushes, beating her and raping her.

Khan's wife heard Hena's screams and found her husband raping the girl. His wife then dragged Hena away, while beating and stomping her.

When the family went to a local court, the judge ruled that Hena Akhter committed adultery.

She was sentenced to 101 lashes. Khan was sentenced to 201.

At the of the punishment, Khan managed to escape after only a few lashes. 

Hena Akhter only got to 70 lashes before falling unconscious. She died a week later in the hospital.