A couple were accused of having an ‘illicit' relationship. Their community allegedly shot them dead
The killings last month in the southwestern Balochistan province, underscores the shocking and persistent nature of such crimes across parts of Central and South Asia, where family and community members believe they can restore 'honor' through bloodshed.
At least 11 people have been arrested since video of the incident recently went viral on social media, Balochistan's chief minister Safraz Bugti said.
Graphic video of the killing shows about a dozen men surrounding several vehicles in a desert.
A woman, her head wrapped in a shawl, can be seen slowly walking in front of one of the vehicles as a man follows her, watched by the group.
'You are only allowed to fire at me, nothing else,' she can be heard saying in Brahvi, a local language, before the man raises a pistol and shoots her at close range.
The woman remains standing after two shots, collapsing only after the third, the video shows. The video then captures more gunshots.
Another video shows the bloodied bodies of a man and woman lying side by side.
CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of the videos. Police told CNN they believe the footage does show the murder under investigation.
The man and woman were killed because they were allegedly engaged in a relationship considered 'illicit' by a local tribal leader, according to a police report seen by CNN.
The leader had allegedly issued a verdict to execute them, the police report said.
Honor killings remain disturbingly common in Pakistan, with hundreds of cases reported each year — though experts believe the real number is much higher due to underreporting.
These murders are typically carried out by family members or village leaders who believe a relative, often a woman, has brought 'shame' upon the family, sometimes for reasons as seemingly innocuous as marrying by choice, seeking a divorce, or defying traditional gender roles.
Deeply-rooted patriarchal norms that equate family honor with women's behavior, cultural acceptance, and weak law enforcement, allow perpetrators to act with near impunity.
In recent years, a string of high-profile so-called honor killings have made headlines in Pakistan, drawing national and international condemnation and underscoring the persistence of the practice.
In 2016, social media star Qandeel Baloch was murdered by her brother in a so-called 'honor killing.' Baloch gained both fame and notoriety in inherently conservative and patriarchal Pakistan for her bold, sassy and increasingly political social media posts.
Her murder sparked a national outcry and promoted changes in the country's so-called 'honor killing' laws. Honor killings now carry a life sentence but the change in legislation has not made the crimes go away.
At least 335 women and 119 men were killed in so-called 'honor killings' last year alone, according to data from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).
Balochistan's chief minister Bugti called the most recent alleged murder 'intolerable' and a 'blatant violation of social values and human dignity.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
a few seconds ago
- Fox News
Cincinnati city leaders must ‘draw a line in the sand,' says Ohio senator
WARNING: Graphic content—Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, shares what he's learned from victims of the viral Cincinnati attack on 'The Ingraham Angle.'
CBS News
30 minutes ago
- CBS News
Detroit-area man accused stealing truck and trailer from high school
A Warren, Michigan, man is facing charges for allegedly stealing a truck and trailer from Warren Mott High School, according to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office. Matthew Gonzales, 45, was arraigned on Wednesday for larceny of $20,000 or more, unlawfully driving a motor vehicle, third-degree fleeing police and operating with a suspended or revoked license. Gonzales received a $1 million cash/surety bond and must receive a substance abuse evaluation. If released, he is ordered to wear a steel cuff tether and submit to random drug testing. Prosecutors say on Tuesday, July 29, a Warren Consolidated School employee working at the high school spotted someone getting into the Chevy Silverado and driving away. Attached to the truck was a trailer that had three lawn mowers, a chainsaw and a backpack blower belonging to the district, according to a news release. Responding officers located the vehicle on Mound Road and attempted a traffic stop. However, the driver refused to stop, resulting in a police chase to Mount Elliot and E. Lantz streets in Detroit. Gonzales was taken into custody. "Stealing a truck and trailer from a school in broad daylight is a serious offense, made worse by the suspect's decision to flee from police. This reckless behavior endangered the public and showed a clear disregard for the law and community safety. Our office will pursue appropriate charges. We're committed to ensuring accountability and thank local officers for their swift response," said Prosecutor Peter Lucido in a statement. Gonzales's next court hearing is Aug. 12.
CNN
30 minutes ago
- CNN
Florida carries out record 9th execution of year on man convicted of killing wife and 2 children
CrimeFacebookTweetLink Follow A man convicted of the 1994 killings of his wife and their two children became the ninth person put to death in Florida this year, his death Thursday marking a state record for a single-year execution total since the U.S. Supreme Court restored the death penalty decades ago. Edward Zakrzewski, 60, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. After the return of the U.S. death penalty in 1976, Florida carried out a high of eight executions in 2014, a one-year total only matched this year with a mid-July execution and now exceeded. 'I want to thank the good people of the Sunshine State for killing me in the most cold, calculated, clean, humane, efficient way possible. I have no complaint,' Zakrzewski said after the curtain to the death chamber went up shortly after 6 p.m. He was lying on a gurney covered with a white sheet. Before the drugs began flowing, he also quoted from a poem as 14 witnesses looked on, plus media reporters and prison staff. Once the drugs were administered, Zakrzewski began breathing deeply, surrounded by three Corrections Department staffers in dark suits. One of them shook Zakrzewski by the shoulders and shouted his name. There was no reaction, and then he was still. Florida this year has carried out more executions than any other state, while Texas and South Carolina are tied for second with four each. A 10th execution is scheduled in Florida on Aug. 19 and an 11th on Aug. 28 under death warrants signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. No members of the victims' family spoke with reporters after Thursday's execution. Twenty-seven men had died by court-ordered execution so far this year in the U.S., while nine other people are set to be put to death in seven states during the rest of 2025. Florida also was the last state to execute someone, giving Michael Bernard Bell a lethal injection on July 15. Zakrzewski was sentenced to die for the June 9, 1994, killings of his 34-year-old wife Sylvia and their children Edward, 7, and Anna, 5, in the Florida Panhandle. Trial testimony showed he carried out the killings at their Okaloosa County home after his wife sought a divorce, and he had told others he would kill his family rather than allow that to happen. The woman was attacked first with a crowbar and strangled with a rope, court testimony showed. Both children were killed with a machete, and Sylvia was also struck with the blade when Zakrzewski thought she had survived the previous assault, according to court records. Zakrzewski's lawyers filed numerous unsuccessful appeals over the years, including a final plea for a stay of execution that the Supreme Court denied on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, Zakrzewski awoke at 5:15 a.m. and later in the day had a meal that included fried pork chops, root beer and ice cream, state Department of Corrections spokesman Paul Walker said. He said Zakrzewski had one visitor and 'remained compliant' as his execution time neared. Kayle Bates, who was convicted of abducting a woman from an insurance office and killing her in 1982, is next scheduled to be executed in Florida on Aug. 19. DeSantis also has signed a death warrant setting an Aug. 28 execution date for Curtis Windom, who was convicted of killing three people in the Orlando area in 1992. Florida uses a three-drug cocktail for its lethal injection: a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the state Department of Corrections. Before Thursday's execution, opponents pointed to Zakrzewski's military service as an Air Force veteran and the fact that a jury voted 7-5 to recommend his execution, barely a majority of the panel. They noted that under current state law, he could not have received the death penalty with a split jury vote.
