Pakistani men who raped French woman to be executed

Two Pakistani men who gang-raped a French woman in front of her three children will be executed. Abid Malhi and Shafqat Ali were found guilty of dragging the woman out of her car and raping her at gunpoint at the side of a motorway near Lahore in 2020. The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday dismissed appeals filed by Abid Ali and Shafqat Ali. The two men had challenged a 2021 anti-terrorism court verdict that found them guilty of gang rape, kidnapping, robbery and terrorism-related offences.
The case dates back to September 9, 2020, when a French woman of Pakistani origin was travelling with her three children on the Sialkot-Lahore Motorway. Her vehicle reportedly ran out of fuel during a late-night journey, leaving the family stranded on the roadside. According to investigators, the woman remained inside the vehicle with the doors locked while waiting for assistance. The attackers allegedly smashed a window, dragged her out of the car and raped her at gunpoint in front of her children. The men also robbed the family of cash, jewellery and bank cards before fleeing.The woman was French-Pakistani, and lived in France with her family.
Malhi and Ali were arrested days later and were matched with DNA from the crime scene. The survivor was able to identify her attackers, and Ali even confessed to the crime in front of a magistrate. The crime prompted widespread protests and anger. Outrage intensified after comments made by then Lahore police chief Umer Sheikh, who questioned why the woman had been travelling at night and said she should have taken a different route.