Dad Sentenced to Death In Pakistan for 'Honor Killing' of Farzana Parveen

 

A man and three other relatives were sentenced to death for the murder of his daughter (Farzana Parveen) for marrying a man they did not approve of. They stoned Farzana, the pregnant woman and beat her to death in front of local police officers who looked on and did nothing to stop the killing.

 

According to the Mail Online, "Farzana was attacked in broad daylight on May 27 by her father, brother, cousin, and another relative on the steps of a top court in the city of Lahore. With police witnesses reportedly doing nothing to stop the sickening murder, Farzana Parveen was savagely beaten for 15 minutes and had bricks thrown at her as she arrived at the court to defend her husband". Mohammed.

 

Mrs Iqbal's shocking murder in May briefly focused international attention on Pakistan's epidemic of violence against women. Women are murdered every day in Pakistan for perceived slights against conservative social traditions. The crime is so common it rarely rates more than a paragraph in newspapers.

 

Yesterday, Ms Parveen's father, brother, cousin, and another relative were all sentenced to death and given a £600 fine, their defence lawyer Mansoor Afridi said. Another cousin was sentenced to 10 years in prison and also fined £600. 

 

Pakistan currently has a moratorium on executions, meaning death row prisoners are effectively sentenced to life imprisonment. But Afridi said the family planned to appeal, claiming the the verdict was 'a decision based on sensationalism.'

 

Parveen's case attracted attention because it took place on a busy street outside the provincial High Court where she had gone to seek protection. Her family beat her to death with bricks while her husband, Muhammed Iqbal, begged nearby police for help. They did not intervene. Iqbal later admitted that he had murdered his first wife to marry Farzana. He escaped punishment because his son forgave him. In Pakistani law, a woman's next of kin can forgive her murderers.

 

Since Pakistani women are often killed by their close relations, the loophole allows thousands of murderers to escape without punishment.