Pakistan
15.07.04
Urgent Interventions
Killing in the Name of Honour of a 19 years old woman
Case PAK 150704.VAW
Violence against Women/Extrajudicial Killing/Killing in the Name of Honor
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Pakistan.
Brief Description of the Situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Asian Human Rights Commission, a member of the OMCT network, of the killing in the name of honour of 19 year-old Ms. Reshman and 30 year-old Mr. Abdul Shakoor.
According to the information received, on 22 June 2004, Ms. Reshman and Mr. Abdul Shakoor were killed by Ms. Reshman’s brother, Mr. Mukhtiar Ahmed, and an unknown man in Munaabad Village, Garhi Yaseen Town, Shikarpur District, Sindh Province. The accused alleged that the two victims had engaged in illicit sexual relations and were killed in order to maintain family honour.
According to Mr. Deedar Husain (Mr. Abdul Shakoor’s brother and complainant), on June 22 2004, he was in the village street at about 6:00 p.m. when he saw his brother Mr. Abdul Shakoor returning from the village shop after purchasing groceries for his family. He then saw Mr. Mukhtiar Ahmed and an unknown man approaching Mr. Shakoor, armed with a single barreled gun and an automatic pistol, respectively. When Mr. Ahmed reached Mr. Shakoor, he began to verbally abuse Mr. Shakoor, accusing him of having sexual relations with his sister, Ms. Reshman. Mr. Ahmed then began firing his gun at Mr. Shakoor, and his unknown partner threatened Mr. Husain and ordered him to stay aside. Mr. Shakoor fell to the street bleeding and quickly died; Mr. Husain noticed that Mr. Shakoor had three injuries on his back and the left side of his neck. Mr. Ahmed and his companion then went to Ms. Reshman’s home which is located on the same street. When they entered she was in the bathroom; they shot and killed her and immediately fled. Mr. Husain entered Ms. Reshman’s home after Mr. Ahmed and his companion had left and saw her body lying on the floor in the bathroom. She had seven injuries: three on the left side of her neck, two under the right breast, one across her right arm and one on the right side of her back. Mr. Husain then went to the Jamalpur Police Station to report the incident (FIR No. 5/04 Section 302, 504 Pakistan Penal Code).
Mr. Shakoor’s family claims that the allegations against him and Ms. Reshman are baseless. The family of the accused is not willing to reveal any information about the incident. Since none of Ms. Reshman’s family members came forward to lodge a complaint about the incident, Mr. Husain lodged a collective report concerning the murders of both victims.
After the case was registered, it was handed over to the investigation team of the police station to be presented before the Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate of Lakhi Ghulam Shah Town in Shikarpur District. The two accused individuals have yet to be arrested.
OMCT is gravely concerned by the many reports it has received in the past months of women in Pakistan who are killed by their family members when they are suspected of having committed adultery (see also OMCT’s urgent appeals of this year: PAK 160604 VAW, 220404 VAW, PAK 120204 VAW, 230304 VAW and 080404 VAW.CC). According to the information received, male relatives who commit such murders in Pakistan are rarely prosecuted in traditional communities. It appears that behavior of women that is seen as compromising «family honor» is considered a valid reason to commit murder.
OMCT firmly condemns these killings in the name of honor and calls upon the government of Pakistan to investigate, prosecute and punish the perpetrators with due diligence. OMCT recalls that the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, in article 4(c), affirms that States should “exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and, in accordance with national legislation, punish acts of violence against women, whether those acts are perpetrated by the State or by private persons.”
Action Requested
Please write to the authorities in Pakistan urging them to:
i. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of this killing, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
ii. ensure that the prohibition of killings in the name of honor is strictly respected, that due diligence is exercised in the prevention and investigation of crimes committed in the name of honor and in the punishment of the perpetrators;
iii. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
Please also write to the embassies of Pakistan in your respective country.
Geneva, July 15, 2004
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Click here for PDF version of this Urgent Appeal
Violence against Women/Extrajudicial Killing/Killing in the Name of Honor
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Pakistan.
Brief Description of the Situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Asian Human Rights Commission, a member of the OMCT network, of the killing in the name of honour of 19 year-old Ms. Reshman and 30 year-old Mr. Abdul Shakoor.
According to the information received, on 22 June 2004, Ms. Reshman and Mr. Abdul Shakoor were killed by Ms. Reshman’s brother, Mr. Mukhtiar Ahmed, and an unknown man in Munaabad Village, Garhi Yaseen Town, Shikarpur District, Sindh Province. The accused alleged that the two victims had engaged in illicit sexual relations and were killed in order to maintain family honour.
According to Mr. Deedar Husain (Mr. Abdul Shakoor’s brother and complainant), on June 22 2004, he was in the village street at about 6:00 p.m. when he saw his brother Mr. Abdul Shakoor returning from the village shop after purchasing groceries for his family. He then saw Mr. Mukhtiar Ahmed and an unknown man approaching Mr. Shakoor, armed with a single barreled gun and an automatic pistol, respectively. When Mr. Ahmed reached Mr. Shakoor, he began to verbally abuse Mr. Shakoor, accusing him of having sexual relations with his sister, Ms. Reshman. Mr. Ahmed then began firing his gun at Mr. Shakoor, and his unknown partner threatened Mr. Husain and ordered him to stay aside. Mr. Shakoor fell to the street bleeding and quickly died; Mr. Husain noticed that Mr. Shakoor had three injuries on his back and the left side of his neck. Mr. Ahmed and his companion then went to Ms. Reshman’s home which is located on the same street. When they entered she was in the bathroom; they shot and killed her and immediately fled. Mr. Husain entered Ms. Reshman’s home after Mr. Ahmed and his companion had left and saw her body lying on the floor in the bathroom. She had seven injuries: three on the left side of her neck, two under the right breast, one across her right arm and one on the right side of her back. Mr. Husain then went to the Jamalpur Police Station to report the incident (FIR No. 5/04 Section 302, 504 Pakistan Penal Code).
Mr. Shakoor’s family claims that the allegations against him and Ms. Reshman are baseless. The family of the accused is not willing to reveal any information about the incident. Since none of Ms. Reshman’s family members came forward to lodge a complaint about the incident, Mr. Husain lodged a collective report concerning the murders of both victims.
After the case was registered, it was handed over to the investigation team of the police station to be presented before the Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate of Lakhi Ghulam Shah Town in Shikarpur District. The two accused individuals have yet to be arrested.
OMCT is gravely concerned by the many reports it has received in the past months of women in Pakistan who are killed by their family members when they are suspected of having committed adultery (see also OMCT’s urgent appeals of this year: PAK 160604 VAW, 220404 VAW, PAK 120204 VAW, 230304 VAW and 080404 VAW.CC). According to the information received, male relatives who commit such murders in Pakistan are rarely prosecuted in traditional communities. It appears that behavior of women that is seen as compromising «family honor» is considered a valid reason to commit murder.
OMCT firmly condemns these killings in the name of honor and calls upon the government of Pakistan to investigate, prosecute and punish the perpetrators with due diligence. OMCT recalls that the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, in article 4(c), affirms that States should “exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and, in accordance with national legislation, punish acts of violence against women, whether those acts are perpetrated by the State or by private persons.”
Action Requested
Please write to the authorities in Pakistan urging them to:
i. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of this killing, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
ii. ensure that the prohibition of killings in the name of honor is strictly respected, that due diligence is exercised in the prevention and investigation of crimes committed in the name of honor and in the punishment of the perpetrators;
iii. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
- President, Pervez Musharraf,
Pakistan Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan,
Fax: + 92 51 9224768 / 9224836 , E-mail: CE@pak.gov.pk - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mian Khursheed Mahmud Kasuri,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Constitution Avenue, Islamabad, Pakistan,
Fax: +92 51 920 2518/922 4205/4206, E-mail: pak.fm@usa.net - Minister for the Interior, Mr. Moinuddin Haider,
Faisal Saleh Hayat, Ministry of Interior, Block R, Federal Secretariat, Islamabad, Pakistan,
Fax: +92 51 9202624, E-mail: minister@interior.gov.pk, secretary@interior.gov - Zaman Khan,
Complaint Cell, National Human Rights Commission of Pakistan,
Aiwan-i-Jahmoor, 107-Tipu Block, New Garden Town, Lahore-54600, PAKISTAN,
Fax: +92 42 588-3582, E-mail: zaman@hrcp-web - Syed Sultan Shah, Joint Secretary for Law,
Justice and Human Rights, Fax: + 92 51 9203119 - Hon. Mr. Ishrat-ul-Ibad Khan, Governor Govt. of Sindh,
Governor House Karachi,
Tel: +92 21 9201201-3, E-mail: governor@governorsindh.gov.pk - Mr. Sayed Kamal Shah, Provincial Police Officer,
Sindh Police, Central Police Office Karachi,
Tel: +92 21 9212626-7, Fax: +92 21 9212051 - Mr. Rahoo Khan Brohi, Regional Police Officer,
Sukkur Region, Airport Road Sukkur,
Tel: +92 71 30547, 30248, Fax: +92 71 31824 - Ambassadeur Umer Shaukat,
Rue de Moillebeau 56 (4ème) - CP 434, CH-1211, Genève 19, Suisse,
E-mail: mission.pakistan@ties.itu.int, Fax: +41 22 734 80 85
Please also write to the embassies of Pakistan in your respective country.
Geneva, July 15, 2004
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Click here for PDF version of this Urgent Appeal