Court at Pakistan sentenced two men to death for gang-raping a French-Pakistani man, a case that sparked protests in cities of the conservative Muslim country and prompted the government to tighten legislation.
“They were both sentenced to death,” Chondry Qassim Arain, one of the defendants’ lawyers, told AFP. He added that an appeal had been lodged.
The victim was raped in September 2020, in front of his children, when the car he was driving ran out of gas near Lahore, in eastern Pakistan.
Human rights and women’s rights groups are calling for an end to a culture that blames victims of sexual assault in Pakistan. After the mother was raped in September, a senior police officer had publicly questioned why the woman was driving alone so late at night with her children.
According to the Karachi-based War Against Rape, less than 3% of perpetrators are convicted of rape and sexual assault in Pakistan.
The case of the rape of the mother sparked demonstrations demanding better protection of women, but also as a sign of protest against the statements of the police officer.
The Pakistani government has reacted by drafting a law specifically banning the chemical castration of rapists – a move backed by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In much of Pakistan, the patriarchal “honor” code is in place, which systematizes the oppression of women by preventing them, for example, from choosing a husband or working from home.
The case and the statements of the police officer, who appeared to accuse the woman of raping her because she took the wheel without being accompanied by a man, caused outrage.
“No one in Pakistan” allows his daughters and sisters to travel alone so late, “Lahore Police Chief Omar Sheikh told the Pakistani press. “Her family is from France, her husband lives in France. He did this because he has lived in France. “He thought our society was as secure as France’s.”
After the uproar caused by his statements and the mass mobilizations across the country, the officer was forced to apologize.
The French embassy in Pakistan has so far avoided taking a public position on the case.
Every year, about a thousand women are killed in Pakistan for “honor” reasons. In general, the victims of crimes of this kind – usually women – are killed by a relative because they are considered to have damaged the honor and reputation of the family.
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