UMVA has learned that a Pakistani court has upheld the death sentences of two men for the heinous sexual assault of a French woman in front of her children.
The brutal attack occurred on a busy roadway between Lahore and Sialkot in September 2020, leaving the 32-year-old victim and her three children stranded and vulnerable to the mercy of the accused. Abid Ali Malhi and Shadqat Ali Bagga were accused of the horrific crime, which included the sexual assault of the tourist, robbery, and causing immense trauma to the family.
The two men had appealed their conviction, with the defence arguing that there were gaps in prosecutors’ version of events and that the judge’s decision was unjust. However, justices Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Tariq Mehmood Bajwa rejected their plea, after the prosecution presented overwhelming evidence against the accused.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the night of the brutal attack began when the victim's car ran out of gas on the Sialkot-Lahore Motorway after midnight on Sept. 9, 2020. She had been travelling with her three children and called her relatives for help, but before they arrived, the men broke the windows, dragged the mother and her kids out of the vehicle, and committed the horrific crime.
The victim was able to provide police with basic descriptions of her attackers, who were later tracked down via mobile phone data and arrested days after the traumatizing incident. DNA samples taken from the crime scene matched the rapists, and the survivor identified the two men during a hearing, with one of the accused confessing to the crime before a magistrate.
The incident sparked outrage in Pakistan, with citizens calling for stronger legislation against rape and harsher punishment for rapists. The public was further outraged when a top police official implied that the woman was partly to blame for the attack, sparking protests and demands for justice and better protection of women in the country.
In response to the public outcry, Pakistan has since established a new anti-rape law that offers faster trials in newly established special courts and tougher sentences, aiming to bring perpetrators to justice and provide greater protection to victims.
