ladyarkles
03-15-2005, 10:10 PM
PAKISTAN (March 13):
Pakistan court voids acquittal of 5 rapists; Men assaulted woman to punish her brother, on orders of council
Pakistan's highest Islamic court last week reinstated the convictions of 5 men sentenced to death for raping a woman on orders from a village council.
The decision on Friday followed a firestorm of criticism after a lower tribunal ordered the suspects freed.
The decision by the Federal Shariat Court was yet another twist in the case of Mukhtar Mai, a 33-year-old woman who said she was raped in 2002 after elders in her village ordered the atttack as punishment for her brother's alleged illicit affair with a woman from another family.
"We welcome the decision, and we know our case is strong," said Ramzan Khalid Joya, Ms. Mai's lawyer.
An attorney for the men, Mohammed Yaqub, said he had not had time to study the decision and would have no comment.
6 men were sentenced to death in 2002, but on March 3 the sentences of 5 were overturned. The 6th man had his death sentenced reduced to life in prison.
Human rights groups in Pakistan and around the world denounced the ruling, and thousands of Pakistani women rallied in Multan, in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, demanding justice and protection for Ms. Mai.
In its decision Friday, the Federal Sharioat Court ruled on technical grounds that the Multan tribunal had no powers to hear the case. It said it alone had the power to rule on appeals in rape cases and indicated it would hear the men's appeal.
The Shariat Court works separately from the normal legal system and has the power to overturn decisions involving Islamic law, such as in instances of rape, adultery and some cases of murder.
Violence against women in common inPakistan, particularaly in rural areas.
(source: Associated Press)
Pakistan court voids acquittal of 5 rapists; Men assaulted woman to punish her brother, on orders of council
Pakistan's highest Islamic court last week reinstated the convictions of 5 men sentenced to death for raping a woman on orders from a village council.
The decision on Friday followed a firestorm of criticism after a lower tribunal ordered the suspects freed.
The decision by the Federal Shariat Court was yet another twist in the case of Mukhtar Mai, a 33-year-old woman who said she was raped in 2002 after elders in her village ordered the atttack as punishment for her brother's alleged illicit affair with a woman from another family.
"We welcome the decision, and we know our case is strong," said Ramzan Khalid Joya, Ms. Mai's lawyer.
An attorney for the men, Mohammed Yaqub, said he had not had time to study the decision and would have no comment.
6 men were sentenced to death in 2002, but on March 3 the sentences of 5 were overturned. The 6th man had his death sentenced reduced to life in prison.
Human rights groups in Pakistan and around the world denounced the ruling, and thousands of Pakistani women rallied in Multan, in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, demanding justice and protection for Ms. Mai.
In its decision Friday, the Federal Sharioat Court ruled on technical grounds that the Multan tribunal had no powers to hear the case. It said it alone had the power to rule on appeals in rape cases and indicated it would hear the men's appeal.
The Shariat Court works separately from the normal legal system and has the power to overturn decisions involving Islamic law, such as in instances of rape, adultery and some cases of murder.
Violence against women in common inPakistan, particularaly in rural areas.
(source: Associated Press)