A Pakistan court sentenced four men to death yesterday over the mob killing of a pregnant relative who married against her family's will.
Farzana Perveen, who was pregnant at the time, was beaten to death by her father and other relatives outside a courthouse in Lahore on May 27, according a report by AP.
Farzana was going to the Lahore High Court in connection with a kidnapping case filed by her family against her husband, Muhammad Iqbal. An attacker claimed to be Farzana's husband, saying she married another man without divorcing him.
Police said a scuffle took place between about 20 members of Farzana’s family and 10-15 of Iqbal’s, during which she was struck with a brick three times and fatally wounded. He managed to escape, a BBC report said.
Police said Farzana was already dead.
Farzana’s father, brother, cousin and the man who claimed to be Farzana’s husband were sentenced to death. Another brother got 10 years in jail.
Court officials said the defendants would have the right to appeal in Lahore’s high court.
The case sparked global outrage.
There are hundreds of so-called “honour killings” in Pakistan each year.
Pakistan has one of the highest rates of violence against women globally. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan says some 869 women were murdered in honor killings in 2013.
This case prompted particular outrage, with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif describing it as “totally unacceptable”.
It emerged that Iqbal had killed his first wife six years ago to marry Farzana. Iqbal’s son from first marriage, Aurangzeb, told the BBC in May that relatives had persuaded him to forgive his father, enabling his release from prison under Pakistani law.
