Father Helps Stone to Death Pregnant Daughter

'Honor killing' takes place outside courthouse in Pakistan
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted May 27, 2014 12:31 PM CDT
Father Helps Stone to Death Pregnant Daughter
Mohammad Iqbal, right, husband of Farzana Parveen, 25, sits in an ambulance next to her body in Lahore.   (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

"Stoned to death" doesn't quite capture it. Those who murdered a 25-year-old pregnant Pakistani woman outside a court in Lahore used bricks from a nearby construction site to kill her, reports AP. And it somehow gets worse: The 20 or so attackers included her father, brothers, and other relatives who were outraged that she married a man of her own choosing. "I killed my daughter as she had insulted all of our family by marrying a man without our consent, and I have no regret over it," the father told police.

The men ambushed Farzana Parveen as she arrived at court with her husband to contest the abduction complaint her family had lodged against her spouse. A Pakistani rights group estimates that 1,000 women die each year in so-called honor killings, though Reuters reports that the actual figure is probably much higher. It also highlights what one critic calls a 'huge flaw" in Pakistani law: The killers often go unpunished because the rest of the family is allowed to formally forgive them. (More Pakistan stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X