'My life is in danger': Fears of Pakistani woman gang-raped on orders of village elders as 13 out of 14 men are cleared

[Guest]

Punishment attack ordered because her 12-year-old brother was judged to have offended a clan's honour

Mukhtaran Mai's courage in defying centuries-old rural customs of repressing women has made her a role model for many women in Pakistan
A Pakistani victim of a village council-sanctioned gang rape, who became a symbol of the country's oppressed women, says her life is in danger after the Supreme Court acquitted 13 men accused of the crime.
Mukhtaran Mai was attacked on the orders of a village council nine years ago as a punishment because her brother - who was 12 at the time - was judged to have offended the honour of a powerful clan by allegedly having an affair with one of its women.
Mai was an illiterate villager at the time but she defied taboos and shot to global fame by speaking out about her ordeal and taking her attackers to court.
Mai had accused 14 men of being involved in raping her and in 2002, a court sentenced six of them to death while acquitting the others citing a lack of evidence.

But in an appeal, the Lahore High Court not only upheld the eight acquittals but also overturned five of the six convictions. The death penalty for the sixth man, Abdul Khaliq, was commuted to life in prison.
Mai appealed to the Supreme Court in 2005 but it rejected her appeal on Thursday, said Gohar Ali Shah, a lawyer for Mai.
'I'm disappointed. Why was I made to wait for five years if this decision was to be given?' a sobbing Mai told Reuters by telephone from her village in the eastern province of Punjab shortly after the court announced the decision.
'The accused can kill me and my family when they return home,' she added.

The Lahore High Court upheld eight acquittals and overturned five of the six convictions. The death penalty for the sixth man, Abdul Khaliq (second from right) was commuted to life in prison
Her courage in defying centuries-old rural customs of repressing women won her human rights awards and made her a role model for many women in Pakistan.
She is running a school for girls in her village with donations from the government and supporters at home and abroad.
Mai said she would neither flee her village nor the country.
'Life and death are in the hands of Allah ... I will not shut my school and other projects,' she said.
The group Human Rights Watch expressed dismay at the court decision, saying the attack on Mai was a 'crime that took place in full public view and the perpetrators were publicly identified'.
'Today's verdict by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on the Mukhtaran Mai case reflects poorly on the Supreme Court,' said Ali Dayan Hasan of the U.S.-based rights group.
He said Human Rights Watch was particularly concerned about Mai's safety and called upon on the government to ensure her protection.
'This is a setback for Mukhtaran Mai, the broader struggle to end violence against women and the cause of an independent, rights-respecting judiciary in Pakistan.'
Mai said the 14 men involved in her rape were: Faiz Bukhsh Mastoi, Ramzan Pachar, Ghulam Fareed Mastoi, Allah Ditta Mastoi, Hazoor Bakhsh, two men both named Fayyaz Hussain, Aslam, Nazar Hussain, Ghulam Qasim, Hafiz Rasool Bakhsh, Ghulam Hussain, Mohammad Khalil and Abdul Khaliq.
All have now been exonerated apart from Khaliq, who will serve a life sentence.



The group Human Rights Watch expressed dismay at the court decision, saying the attack on Mai was a 'crime that took place in full public view and the perpetrators were publicly identified'.

And they want sharia law here ffs,



That poor but very brave woman


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1379496/Mukhtaran-Mai-says-life-danger-Supreme-Court-clears-men-accused-rape.html#ixzz1KFNZkeWJ

[nelix]

Absolutely disgracefull!! This woman had right and justice on her side and has been badly let down by her countrymen..MEN being the opperative word here! Ignorant, barbaric and brainwashed MEN ffs! I hope Mukhtaran remains safe and carries on her good works and something very nasty befalls those bastards..

[Guest]

monsters!!! how can they live with this on their mind, knowing all the men are guilty of such a crime?
women are treated like shit, such a shame for this woman, what message does this send out!!



this bit got me, her brother was 12!!! when he allegedely had an affair

Mukhtaran Mai was attacked on the orders of a village council nine years ago as a punishment because her brother - who was 12 at the time - was judged to have offended the honour of a powerful clan by allegedly having an affair with one of its women.


brave woman may she continue in her struggle to educate these half wits !

[Janni]

This poor woman If I understood it right she was punished instead of her brother and I am so glad I don't live as a woman in such a country. The men have no respect for their women and they can almost always do with them whatever they want without fear to get punished. Hopefully Mukhtaran Mai receives a lot of help and is able to get over this evil attack if it is possible at all...

[Olay]

They are animals following animal insticts. Notice how it leads to sex!
Women are objects to be used by the men of these places. A womans virginity is essential to make a good marriage and fathers have been known to have their daughters murdered in the most savage ways if she dare lose her virginity before he can sort a good husband (someone he can gain from). Daughters are worthless and a womans only roll is to give into these pigs fantasies and then produce sons. The men are sex fcking mad and living the dream with their rules and regulations.
These women will never be free without a western world intervention but the men know how good they have it and it would be such a long hard battle. I hate those self rightious bigoted twats and would bite their fcking bell ends off before I gave in to their sick wants.

Excuse my french...

[Guest]

god ....what a sad post ....poor woman...