The Lahore High Court, through judges Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Tariq Mehmood Bajwa, on 3/6 rejected appeals from Abid Ali and Shadqat Ali, the two defendants in a high-profile rape case from 2020.

"The Lahore High Court decided to uphold the lower court's ruling of the death penalty against them", a judge stated.

According to investigators, in 9/2020, a 32-year-old French tourist of Pakistani descent became stranded at midnight after her car ran out of fuel on the Lahore - Sialkot highway in Punjab province. While she was calling for assistance, Abid Ali and Shadqat Ali approached her.

Accused Abid Malhi (left) and Shafqat Ali. *Photo: Independent.*

The two armed men shattered the car windows, stole her belongings, and forcibly took the woman and her three children to a nearby field. There, she was assaulted at gunpoint in front of her children.

In 3/2021, a lower court sentenced the two defendants to death. Later that year, they appealed the verdict to the Lahore High Court, seeking a reduced sentence.

The incident sparked widespread outrage across Pakistan, leading to protests and calls for stronger measures against sexual assault. Public anger intensified after a senior police official criticized the victim for driving alone at night "without male protection".

The then-Lahore police chief further stated that no one in Pakistan allows their female relatives to travel alone at such late hours, implying the French tourist may have "mistaken Pakistani society as safe as her own country".

Following the case, Pakistan enacted a new anti-rape law. This legislation established specialized courts to expedite sexual assault trials and authorized chemical castration for repeat offenders.

Chemical castration involves using drugs to suppress an individual's sexual desire. This measure garnered support from then-Prime Minister Imran Khan. However, many activists question whether such a punishment effectively deters crime.

By Huyen Le (According to Independent, Times of India)