diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 9451fb4..9b63bd5 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.12)
 
 # Also update version in nihtest/__main__.py and pyproject.toml
 project(nihtest
-        VERSION 1.1.1
+        VERSION 1.2.0
         DESCRIPTION "NiH testing framework"
         HOMEPAGE_URL "https://github.com/nih-at/nihtest"
         LANGUAGES C)
diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index fcea3cf..b923e2c 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+# 1.2.0 [2023-07-19]
+
+- Explicitly specify encoding for stdout of subcommands.
+
 # 1.1.1 [2023-06-27]
 
 - Fix Windows compatibility. 
diff --git a/nihtest/Command.py b/nihtest/Command.py
index 67b6d03..6e623d1 100644
--- a/nihtest/Command.py
+++ b/nihtest/Command.py
@@ -26,9 +26,9 @@ def run(self):
             raise RuntimeError(f"can't find program {self.program}")
         if self.stdin_file is not None:
             with open(self.stdin_file, "rb") as stdin:
-                result = subprocess.run([program] + self.arguments, capture_output=True, check=False, text=True, stdin=stdin, env=self.environment)
+                result = subprocess.run([program] + self.arguments, capture_output=True, check=False, text=True, encoding="utf-8", stdin=stdin, env=self.environment)
         else:
-            result = subprocess.run([program] + self.arguments, capture_output=True, check=False, text=True, input=self.stdin, env=self.environment)
+            result = subprocess.run([program] + self.arguments, capture_output=True, check=False, text=True, encoding="utf-8", input=self.stdin, env=self.environment)
         self.exit_code = result.returncode
         self.stdout = result.stdout.splitlines()
         self.stderr = result.stderr.splitlines()
diff --git a/nihtest/__main__.py b/nihtest/__main__.py
index 98cb1be..d7f2023 100644
--- a/nihtest/__main__.py
+++ b/nihtest/__main__.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 from nihtest import Test
 from nihtest import Configuration
 
-VERSION = "1.1.1"
+VERSION = "1.2.0"
 
 
 def main():
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index a1c4c0b..7082d45 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
 
 [project]
 name = "nihtest"
-version = "1.1.1"
+version = "1.2.0"
 authors = [
     { name="Dieter Baron", email="dillo@nih.at" },
     { name="Thomas Klausner", email="wiz@gatalith.at"}
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ classifiers = [
 nihtest = "nihtest.__main__:main"
 
 [tool.bumpver]
-current_version = "1.1.1"
+current_version = "1.2.0"
 version_pattern = "MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH"
 
 [tool.bumpver.file_patterns]