Dad Sentenced to Death In Pakistan for ‘Honor Killing’ of Daughter

Four Pakistani men were sentenced to death Wednesday for the murder of Farzana Parveen, a pregnant woman ostracized by her family for marrying without their approval.

The 25-year-old was slain by her father and three brothers in May for marrying Muhammad Iqbal, a widower from a nearby village, and shunning her cousin to whom she had been betrothed in January.

Infuriated by her act of defiance, Parveen’s father, brother and two cousins assembled and bludgeoned her to death. Hours after the killing, authorities arrested the victim’s father, who told police he killed Parveen to “preserve the family honor,” reports the New York Times.

On Wednesday, a Pakistani court found the four men guilty and sentenced them to death, prosecutor Abdul Samad told journalists. Another cousin will face 10 years in prison for aiding the crime.

While such “honor killings” are known to occur in Pakistan’s rural regions, Parveen’s murder has sparked outrage as it took place in broad daylight and right outside the High Court of Lahore, considered Pakistan’s cultural capital. Parveen had arrived in the city to testify in a lawsuit filed by her family, who insisted Iqbal had kidnapped and forced her into marriage.

[NYT]