CHINA TOPIX

03/28/2024 04:36:03 pm

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Family Charged For Honor Killing, Killed Pregnant Family Member Outside Court

25-year-old Farzana Iqbal

(Photo : REUTERS/MANI RANA) 25-year-old Farzana Iqbal has been beaten to death by her relatives outside a court in Pakistan and is called an honor killing.

The four relatives of a pregnant woman, who was fatally beaten outside one of the top courts in Pakitsn due to honor killing, have been reportedly sentenced to death on Wednesday.

The lawyer of the relatives of the woman identified as 25-year-old Farzana Iqbal has confirmed the decision of the court. According to reports, the killing happened back in May and she was attacked by the said relatives because they did not agree with her marriage.

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Those who were sentenced to death are her father, brother, cousin, and another relative. They will also be, which was not announced what her relation to him is, are also facing a US$1000 fine, pressed their defense lawyer Mansoor Afridi. Another cousin, who was not sentenced to death, was charged with ten years in prison and a US$1000 fine as well.

According to Afridi, Pakistan has a moratorium regarding executions, which means that prisoners who are included in the death row are sentenced to life imprisonment, however, the family appealed thus the verdict.

Due to this, the reports about the killing has again centered on the growing concern in Pakistan over the violence against women. There are hundreds of women said to be murdered in the country everyday and reports suggest that these woman are slighted for being against the conservative social traditions that are still widely implemented to date.

However, the case of Farzana was much different, although it is of a common case, because it happened on a busy street and in broad daylight. She was said to be at the High Court of her province to seek protection from her relatives.

According to her husband, Muhammed Iqbal, her family beat her to death using bricks and he begged police who were near the scene of the crime but they refused to intervene.

It is also controversial as Iqbal actually killed his first wife, so he can marry Farzana. He was able to evade the punishment since it is a law in Pakistan that the next of kin of a woman can forgive the murderer, which in this case, he was forgiven by his son.

Back in 2013, it has been recorded that there were 869 cases of honor killings reported by the media and they have been killed by the relatives making it easy for them to escape punishment. 

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