Pakistan: A Pakistani court has upheld the death sentence of two convicts in the famous gangrape case in which a French woman was gang-raped in front of her three children. The incident took place when the woman’s car had stopped due to running out of fuel on the motorway near Lahore.
Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday rejected the appeal of Abid Ali and Shafqat Ali. Both the accused had challenged the decision given by the Anti-Terrorism Court in the year 2021. In that decision, he was convicted of crimes related to gangrape, kidnapping, robbery and terrorism.
What was the whole matter?
This matter is of 9 September 2020. The French woman, who was also said to be of Pakistani origin, was traveling on the Sialkot-Lahore motorway with her three children. During the night-time journey, their car ran out of fuel, leaving the family stranded on the roadside.
According to investigating officials, the woman was sitting inside the car while waiting for help and had kept the doors of the vehicle closed. Meanwhile, the attackers reached there and allegedly broke the glass of the car. After this the accused pulled the woman out of the car and raped her at gunpoint in front of her children. After the incident, the accused looted cash, jewelery and bank cards from the family and fled away.
How did the case open?
The search for the attackers lasted only a few days. Investigating agencies accessed the suspects through mobile phone data. Later, DNA evidence found at the scene played an important role in linking the accused to the crime.
According to investigators, the victim had also identified both the accused during the legal process. Shafqat Ali, one of the culprits, had reportedly also confessed his crime before the magistrate.
On the basis of this evidence, in March 2021, the anti-terrorism court convicted both of them and sentenced them to death. Along with this, he was also given life imprisonment and other additional punishments.
Was there any protest against the incident in Pakistan?
After this incident came to light, there were widespread protests in Pakistan and there was huge anger among the people. The controversy had escalated further when the then Lahore Police Chief Omar Sheikh had raised questions about the woman traveling at night. He also said that the woman should have chosen another path. His comment was widely criticized.
What arguments did the convicts give in the appeal?
In the appeal filed in the Lahore High Court, the convicts had claimed that there were many weaknesses and contradictions in the prosecution’s case. His lawyers told the court that the evidence presented was not credible and the conviction should be quashed.
However, the prosecution told the court that there was strong and sufficient evidence against both the accused. Government lawyers said that the trial court had examined all the available evidence in detail before delivering the verdict in 2021.
According to media reports, the court agreed with the arguments of the prosecution and rejected the appeals of both the convicts. With this the death sentence was retained.
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