Man sentenced to death for beheading diplomat's daughter
A
Pakistan man has been found guilty of murdering the daughter of a distinguished
diplomat in a brutal beheading case that sparked renewed calls for better
protection of domestic violence victims.
An
Islamabad judge sentenced Zahir Jaffer to death Thursday for killing Noor Mukadam, 27, last July at Jaffer's family home in an
affluent neighborhood in the country's capital.
Jaffer,
the 30-year-old son of an influential family and a dual Pakistan-US national,
was arrested at the scene of the attack and later charged with premeditated
murder, rape, abduction and confinement. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Mukadam's
father, Shaukat Mukadam, welcomed the verdict.
"This
case is for all the daughters of Pakistan," he told reporters. "The
society and media came to our side, the entire nation and the world was on our
side."
Pakistan
has a poor record when it comes to protecting women and girls, but Noor
Mukadam's death sent shockwaves through the country because of Jaffer's family
background and the brutal nature of the crime.
Pakistan
does not have a nationwide law criminalizing domestic violence, leaving many
women and girls vulnerable to assault.
Often,
violence occurs within marriage and goes unreported, because it is considered a
cultural norm in Pakistan's patriarchal society, according to a World Health
Organization review of
literature on domestic violence in Pakistan from 2008 to 2018.
Around
28% of women between the ages of 15 and 49 have experienced physical violence
since the age of 15, Pakistan's Ministry of Human Rights said, citing the
country's Demographic and Health Survey from 2017-2018.
Activists
used Mukadam's death to renew calls for the country's Parliament to pass
legislation that would fine or imprison offenders for abusing women, children
or vulnerable people.
The
Pakistan Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill was proposed in
2020. If passed, it would only apply to the Islamabad Capital Territory, but
activists believe it would encourage other provinces to pass similar
legislation as the capital is controlled by the country's ruling party,
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
The
bill was passed in the lower house of the country's Parliament in
April last year, but was subsequently held up by the Senate, Parliament's upper
house, after opposition members succeeded by one vote to refer the bill to the
Senate Committee on Human Rights for further review.
It
was ultimately passed by the Senate last June and progressed to the next step,
presidential assent, for final approval.
Activists
used Mukadam's death to renew calls for the country's Parliament to pass
legislation that would fine or imprison offenders for abusing women, children
or vulnerable people.
The
Pakistan Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill was proposed in
2020. If passed, it would only apply to the Islamabad Capital Territory, but
activists believe it would encourage other provinces to pass similar
legislation as the capital is controlled by the country's ruling party,
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
The
bill was passed in the lower house of the country's Parliament in
April last year, but was subsequently held up by the Senate, Parliament's upper
house, after opposition members succeeded by one vote to refer the bill to the
Senate Committee on Human Rights for further review.
It
was ultimately passed by the Senate last June and progressed to the next step,
presidential assent, for final approval.
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