LHC Upholds Death Penalty in Motorway Rape Case
A two-judge bench said the prosecution proved its case and rejected claims that the trial court’s verdict was flawed.
- On Wednesday, a Lahore High Court division bench upheld the death sentences of Abid Ali and Shafqat Ali for the 2020 Sialkot-Lahore Motorway gang rape, dismissing their appeals against convictions.
- Attackers shattered the car window after the driver ran out of fuel near Lahore on September 9, 2020, dragging the French woman of Pakistan-origin outside to rape her at gunpoint in front of her three children.
- Detectives secured convictions using mobile phone location data and DNA samples; the appellate court rejected defence arguments of 'gaps' in the prosecution timeline based on overwhelming forensic evidence.
- Senior police official Umer Sheikh's remarks triggered nationwide protests, with activists describing his words as unapologetic 'victim-blaming' and demanding authorities hang the convicted men publicly.
- Entrepreneur Elon Reeve Musk hailed the ruling on X, writing, "This is the right sentence for such an action. Good for Pakistan," as activists press for legal reforms.
13 Articles
13 Articles
LHC upholds death sentences in Motorway gang-rape case
LAHORE - The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday upheld the death sentences awarded to two convicts, Abid Malhi and Shafqat Baga, in the high-profile motorway gang-rape case, dismissing their appeals against the anti-terrorism court’s verdict.
Two Pakistanis Who Gang-Raped French Tourist in Front of Her Three Children Will Be Executed
A Pakistani appellate court has upheld the death sentences of two men who assaulted a stranded French tourist alongside a major motorway, bringing legal closure to a case that triggered nationwide protests over victim-blaming and systemic failures. Two judges dismissed the final appeals of Abid Malhi and Shafqat Ali on Wednesday. The men were originally convicted of terrorism, kidnapping, robbery and gang rape by an anti-terrorism court in March…
LHC upholds death penalty in Motorway rape case
The Lahore High Court has dismissed appeals filed by two men against their convictions in the 2020 Sialkot-Lahore Motorway gang rape case, upholding the punishment awarded by a trial court. An anti-terrorism court had handed down death sentences, besides life imprisonment and multiple jail terms to the two convicts, Abid Ali alias Malhi and Shafqat Ali alias Bagga, on March 20, 2021. They challenged their convictions on March 25, 2021. A two-mem…
While she had locked the doors of her car while waiting for help, after she broke down on a highway, the two attackers broke a window and attacked him under the threat of a gun.
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