Lahore, Pakistan
Four of the men convicted in a notorious gang rape were freed this week, pending a new trial by the Supreme Court. In 2002, the village council in remote Meerwala ordered that Mukhtaran Mai be gang-raped by four men, as a punishment for her family because her brother had taken a lover from a rival tribe. The four men, along with two council members, were sentenced to death. Last month, an Islamic court overturned the convictions, but then a higher Islamic court overturned that ruling. The Supreme Court agreed to take the case, but set no date for the new trial, and the men have been released. Gang rape is common in tribal areas of Pakistan, but victims almost never come forward. Mai, who has become a hero among Pakistani women, says she now fears for her life.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How to create a healthy 'germier' homeUnder The Radar Exposure to a broad range of microbes can enhance our immune system, especially during childhood
-
George Floyd: Did Black Lives Matter fail?Feature The momentum for change fades as the Black Lives Matter Plaza is scrubbed clean
-
National debt: Why Congress no longer caresFeature Rising interest rates, tariffs and Trump's 'big, beautiful' bill could sent the national debt soaring
