(Bloomberg) -- The Greek government backed off on a bill that could have potentially eased the punishment for rapists, after it sparked protests from women, international rights organizations and opposition parties.
Justice Minister Michalis Kalogirou submitted an amendment to a proposed law on the definition of rape that will now introduce harsher sentencing for non-consensual sexual acts.
“Whoever attempts a sexual act without the consent of the victim will be subject to as many as 10 years in prison, ” Kalogirou told lawmakers in Athens on Thursday.
The amendment comes after the government was widely criticized for its previous proposed legislation that opponents said provided a wide berth for judicial interpretation, making it possible for some rapes to be treated as misdemeanors and not felonies, and hence punishable by as few as three years in prison.
--With assistance from Antonis Galanopoulos.
To contact the reporter on this story: Paul Tugwell in Athens at ptugwell1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sotiris Nikas at snikas@bloomberg.net, Vidya Root
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