Jolie Rouge
03-11-2005, 09:50 PM
Friday, March 11, 2005
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/03/11/pakistan.rape.ap/story.mai.ap.jpg
Mukhtar Mai
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Pakistan's highest Islamic court has reinstated the convictions of five men sentenced to death for raping a woman on orders from a village council, following a firestorm of criticism after a lower tribunal ordered the men freed.
The decision by the Federal Shariat Court was yet another twist in the case of Mukhtar Mai, a 33-year-old woman who said she was raped in June 2002 after elders in her village ordered the attack as punishment for her brother's alleged illicit affair with a woman from another family. "We welcome the decision, and we know our case is strong," said Ramzan Khalid Joya, Mai's lawyer.
An attorney for the men, Mohammed Yaqub, said he had not yet had time to study the decision and had no comment. Six men, including village elder Faiz Mastoi, were sentenced to death in August 2002, but on March 3 the sentences of five of them were overturned.
The sixth man had his death sentence reduced to life in prison.
Human rights groups in Pakistan and around the world denounced the ruling, and thousands of Pakistani women rallied in Multan earlier this week demanding justice and protection for Mai, who said she fears the men would seek revenge if released.
The Canadian High Commissioner on Tuesday visited Mai in Meerwala, a village about 565 kilometers (350 miles) southwest of the capital, Islamabad, to pledge money for a school she runs.
In its decision Friday, the Federal Shariat Court ruled on technical grounds that the Multan tribunal had no powers to hear the case. It said it alone had the power to rule on appeals in rape cases.
The Shariat Court works separately from the normal legal system but has the power to overturn decisions involving Islamic law, such as in instances of rape, adultery and some cases of murder.
The court indicated it would hear the men's appeal, but did not say when.
All six men remain in jail.
Once the Federal Shariat Court rules, a final appeal from either side could only be heard by a special Shariat Branch of Pakistan's Supreme Court, the highest court in the nation.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/03/11/pakistan.rape.ap/index.html
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/03/11/pakistan.rape.ap/story.mai.ap.jpg
Mukhtar Mai
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Pakistan's highest Islamic court has reinstated the convictions of five men sentenced to death for raping a woman on orders from a village council, following a firestorm of criticism after a lower tribunal ordered the men freed.
The decision by the Federal Shariat Court was yet another twist in the case of Mukhtar Mai, a 33-year-old woman who said she was raped in June 2002 after elders in her village ordered the attack as punishment for her brother's alleged illicit affair with a woman from another family. "We welcome the decision, and we know our case is strong," said Ramzan Khalid Joya, Mai's lawyer.
An attorney for the men, Mohammed Yaqub, said he had not yet had time to study the decision and had no comment. Six men, including village elder Faiz Mastoi, were sentenced to death in August 2002, but on March 3 the sentences of five of them were overturned.
The sixth man had his death sentence reduced to life in prison.
Human rights groups in Pakistan and around the world denounced the ruling, and thousands of Pakistani women rallied in Multan earlier this week demanding justice and protection for Mai, who said she fears the men would seek revenge if released.
The Canadian High Commissioner on Tuesday visited Mai in Meerwala, a village about 565 kilometers (350 miles) southwest of the capital, Islamabad, to pledge money for a school she runs.
In its decision Friday, the Federal Shariat Court ruled on technical grounds that the Multan tribunal had no powers to hear the case. It said it alone had the power to rule on appeals in rape cases.
The Shariat Court works separately from the normal legal system but has the power to overturn decisions involving Islamic law, such as in instances of rape, adultery and some cases of murder.
The court indicated it would hear the men's appeal, but did not say when.
All six men remain in jail.
Once the Federal Shariat Court rules, a final appeal from either side could only be heard by a special Shariat Branch of Pakistan's Supreme Court, the highest court in the nation.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/03/11/pakistan.rape.ap/index.html