Teen Raped by Cousin at Gunpoint Accused of 'Seducing' Attacker, Sentenced to Death in Pakistan
After accusing her cousin of raping her at gunpoint, a 19-year-old woman in Pakistan has been sentenced to death and charged with "seducing" her attacker.
The young woman claimed that she and her family were asleep at their home in Rajanpur, in the country's central Punjab province, on Friday night when her cousin Khaleel Ahmed sneaked inside and raped her at gunpoint, according to the Express Tribune.
She added that as he was armed, she could not call out for help.
After several days, the woman reported the crime to the local panchayat, a tribal court that operates outside the official justice system in remote areas of the country.
However, the panchayat, which included the alleged rapist's father, told her she had intentionally seduced her attacker and then found her guilty of adultery and declared her a Kari, or adulteress.
The court also decided no action needed to be taken against the alleged rapist subsequently sentenced the victim to death by stoning or to be sold off, according to the Hindustan Times and Tribune.
"I could not raise an alarm as Ahmed was holding a gun. But the panchayat refused to accept my statement and declared that I willfully slept with him," the young woman said.
The SHO of Fazilpur Police Station, Qaisar Hasnain, said Shumaila's father said in a statement that he was forced to accept the panchayat's decision.
"Since the panchayat declared her liable to be killed he had to accept the decision as it was the tradition of his village," he said.
The following day, the woman and her father went to the police, who have now launched an official investigation. An arrest warrant has now been issued for the members of the tribal council, and the woman taken to a refuge away from the village.
Women declared Kari are often executed by their own family in so-called "honor" killings to restore their reputation. "Honor" killings and death sentences are usually sanctioned through the panchayat system in Pakistani villages, but they have no legal standing, according to CNN.
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, almost 300 women were victims of such killings in the first half of 2016. In a 2015 report by the World Economic Forum, Pakistan ranked 144 out of 145 countries on gender disparity.
In July, Waseem Baloch strangled his sister, Qandeel Baloch, at their home because he believed "girls are born to stay at home and follow traditions." He confessed the murder on video and expressed no remorse, saying, "I am proud of what I did. I drugged her first, then I killed her."
A month earlier a teenage girl's skull was smashed by her brother because he disapproved of her pending marriage.
http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/70741/20170531/teen-raped-cousin-gunpoint-accused-seducing-attacker-sentenced-death-pakistan.htm
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