PAKISTAN: 19-YEAR-OLD GIRL SENTENCED TO DEATH BECAUSE HER BROTHER RAPED HER
July 3, 2018: In Pakistan, a 19-year-old woman was sentenced to death after she accused her brother of raping her, threatening with a gun. The woman said that this happened when she was sleeping at home in Rajanpur. She reported a crime to the local panchayat - a tribal court that operates outside the formal justice system - but there they stated that she had deliberately seduced the rapist. Then panchayat found her guilty of adultery and branded her as "kari" (adulteress). As a result, the girl was either sentenced to stone-beating to death, or sold to slavery. Panchayat decided not to take any measures against the rapist. The next day the woman and her father turned to the police, which began an official investigation. Members of the panchayat were arrested, and the woman was hidden in a shelter outside the village. Women who are recognized as "kari" are often killed by their own families - these so-called "honor killings" are made to restore the reputation of the family. An arrest warrant was also issued against the alleged perpetrator. (Sources: News24xx.com, 03/07/2018)
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