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Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Viral ‘honor' killings in southwest Pakistan trigger nationwide outrage
A viral video of the 'honor killing' of a woman and her lover in a remote part of Pakistan has ignited national outrage, prompting scrutiny of long-standing tribal codes and calls for justice in a country where such killings often pass in silence. While hundreds of so-called honor killings are reported in Pakistan each year, often with little public or legal response, the video of a woman and man accused of adultery being taken to the desert by a group of men to be killed has struck a nerve. The video shows the woman, Bano Bibi, being handed a Quran by a man identified by police as her brother. 'Come walk seven steps with me, after that you can shoot me,' she says, and she walks forward a few feet and stops with her back to the men. The brother, Jalal Satakzai, then shoots her three times and she collapses. Seconds later he shoots and kills the man, Ehsan Ullah Samalani, whom Bano was accused of having an affair with. Once the video of the killings in Pakistan's Balochistan province went viral, it brought swift government action and condemnation from politicians, rights groups and clerics. Civil rights lawyer Jibran Nasir said, though, the government's response was more about performance than justice. 'The crime occurred months ago, not in secrecy but near a provincial capital, yet no one acted until 240 million witnessed the killing on camera,' he said. 'This isn't a response to a crime. It's a response to a viral moment.' Police have arrested 16 people in Balochistan's Nasirabad district, including a tribal chief and the woman's mother. The mother, Gul Jan Bibi, said the killings were carried out by family and local elders based on 'centuries-old Baloch traditions', and not on the orders of the tribal chief. 'We did not commit any sin,' she said in a video statement that also went viral. 'Bano and Ehsan were killed according to our customs.' She said her daughter, who had three sons and two daughters, had run away with Ehsan and returned after 25 days. Police said Bano's younger brother, who shot the couple, remains at large. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said it was a 'test' case and vowed to dismantle the illegal tribal courts operating outside the law. Police had earlier said a jirga, an informal tribal council that issues extrajudicial rulings, had ordered the killings. #JusticeForCouple The video sparked online condemnation, with hashtags like #JusticeForCouple and #HonourKilling trending. The Pakistan Ulema Council, a body of religious scholars, called the killings 'un-Islamic' and urged terrorism charges against those involved. Dozens of civil society members and rights activists staged a protest on Saturday in the provincial capital Quetta, demanding justice and an end to parallel justice systems. 'Virality is a double-edged sword,' said Arsalan Khan, a cultural anthropologist and professor who studies gender and masculinity. 'It can pressure the state into action, but public spectacle can also serve as a strategy to restore ghairat, or perceived family honor, in the eyes of the community.' Pakistan outlawed honor killings in 2016 after the murder of social media star Qandeel Baloch, closing a loophole that allowed perpetrators to go free if they were pardoned by family members. Rights groups say enforcement remains weak, especially in rural areas where tribal councils still hold sway. 'In a country where conviction rates often fall to single digits, visibility - and the uproar it brings - has its advantages,' said constitutional lawyer Asad Rahim Khan. 'It jolts a complacent state that continues to tolerate jirgas in areas beyond its writ.' The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported at least 405 honor killings in 2024. Most victims are women, often killed by relatives claiming to defend family honor. Khan said rather than enforcing the law, the government has spent the past year weakening the judiciary and even considering reviving jirgas in former tribal areas. 'It's executive inaction, most shamefully toward women in Balochistan,' Khan said. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in recent months has asked senior ministers to evaluate proposals to revive jirgas in Pakistan's former tribal districts, including potential engagement with tribal elders and Afghan authorities. The Prime Minister's Office and Pakistan's information minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Viral and then forgotten? The Balochistan killings were raised in Pakistan's Senate, where the human rights committee condemned the murders and called for action against those who convened the jirga. Lawmakers also warned that impunity for parallel justice systems risked encouraging similar violence. Activists and analysts, however, say the outrage is unlikely to be sustained. 'There's noise now, but like every time, it will fade,' said Jalila Haider, a human rights lawyer in Quetta. 'In many areas, there is no writ of law, no enforcement. Only silence.' Haider said the killings underscore the state's failure to protect citizens in under-governed regions like Balochistan, where tribal power structures fill the vacuum left by absent courts and police. 'It's not enough to just condemn jirgas,' Haider said.
Rudaw Net
03-07-2025
- Business
- Rudaw Net
Austrian ambassador praises President Barzani's role in Iraq
Also in Iraq Sudani orders monitoring of water flow from Turkey Iraq reports 34 percent revenue decrease in four months Who is behind recent rocket, drone attacks in Kurdistan Region, disputed territories? Car accident kills four in Diyala province A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Austria's ambassador to Iraq hailed his country's relations with Baghdad as 'excellent,' saying Vienna is committed to strengthening ties between Baghdad and Erbil while praising Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani's profile and connections with Iraqi officials. 'We are committed to fostering robust relations with both Baghdad and Erbil. In this context, we highly value President Barzani's high political profile and his strong personal connections, both with Prime Minister [Mohammed Shia' al-] Sudani, within the Iraqi political landscape and throughout the region as a whole,' Andrea Nasi told Rudaw. Describing Vienna's relations with Baghdad as 'excellent,' Nasi said that 'Iraq considers Austria an important partner in the EU and Austria considers Iraq as an important partner in the region.' 'We have strengthened our partnership through agreements on security, political dialogue, air transport, and cooperation between our Chambers of Commerce,' he explained. Austria closed its embassy in Baghdad in 1991 over security concerns. The country had a representation in the Iraqi capital since 2022, and reopened its embassy in September. It does not have a consulate in Erbil but has had a commercial office in the Kurdish capital since 2006. Nasi said that 42 Austrian companies work in Iraq, reporting a 20 percent increase in exports to the country in 2024 for a total volume of €123.5 million, primarily in the dairy, optical equipment, mechanical equipment, and steel and iron sectors. 'Austria's current engagement in Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region, is primarily characterized by targeted loans and contractual agreements, rather than large-scale equity investments,' he added. Regarding the Kurdistan Region, the ambassador said that Vienna aims to explore opportunities with Erbil in the security, migration, economic development, and energy initiatives sectors, with nine Austrian companies operating in the Region. 'Austria has a lot to offer when it comes to environmentally friendly technology, sustainable industrial products, telecommunications infrastructure, friendly technology, sustainable industrial products, telecommunications infrastructure, as well as crisis management and fire fighting vehicles and equipment,' Nasi said. In July of last year, President Barzani visited Austria and met with top officials, including Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and then-Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, to highlight opportunities and avenues to strengthen Vienna's ties with Erbil and Baghdad. During his visit, Barzani said that Erbil has a 'very long-lasting relationship' with Vienna, and requested the opening of Austria's consulate in Erbil. Niyaz Mustafa contributed to this report.
The Sun
06-05-2025
- The Sun
Court dismisses defamation suit against daily
GEORGE TOWN: The High Court here today dismissed a defamation suit filed by businessman Datuk Seri Sabaruddin Ahmad against English daily 'The Star' and its journalist Imran Hilmy Tawfik Hilmy over an article published five years ago. The suit concerned a report titled 'Nasi Kandar Shakedown: Penang restaurant claims they are being harassed for protection money', which appeared in the newspaper on Oct 16, 2020. Judge Datuk Rozana Ali Yusoff ruled that the defendants,— the journalist and the publication — had not defamed the plaintiff and were protected by qualified privilege. Rozana said the article involved matters of public interest, specifically public health and safety, and that the defence of qualified privilege had been successfully proven by the defendants. The court ordered Sabaruddin to pay RM30,000 in costs to the defendants. Counsels Nicholas Navaron and Soraya Sulaiman Ong represented Imran and The Star, while Sabaruddin was represented by S. Raveentharan and R. Asmeeta. In April 2021, Sabaruddin filed the suit seeking damages, the removal of the article and a public apology. The original article reported that the owner of a well-known nasi kandar restaurant in Penang had lodged a police report, alleging that he and his staff were being harassed for protection money. The reporter interviewed the restaurant owner and his son, who claimed that a man referred to as a 'Datuk' had threatened that the restaurant would be vandalised and its staff harmed if the payments were not made.
