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Journalism of Courage
The Lahore High Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence of Imran Ali who was convicted by an anti-terrorism court in the rape and murder case of seven-year-old Zainab Ansari, The Dawn reported. Ali had stated that since he had confessed to his crime, he should have been dealt with leniency. In his appeal, the convict added that the trial was “conducted in haste and legal requirements were not fulfilled.”
Pleading that courts in developed countries treated criminals who confessed to their crimes with leniency, Ali said the trial court had not shown leniency in his case despite his confession. Ali was sentenced to death in February by the anti-terrorism court on four counts following a four-day jail trial conducted in the central jail in the Kasur rape case.
The case had garnered a lot of attention after protests erupted in different parts of Pakistan demanding action against the accused. In January, two civilians were killed and several were injured in the Kasur district as police opened fire to disperse an angry mob protesting the murder.
The deceased minor’s body was found near a garbage dumpster near her house four days after she went missing. The news sent shockwaves across Pakistan and India causing widespread outrage. However, this was not the first such incident in that area. News agency Reuters had reported that in the past year, there have been at least 12 such reported incidents in that region.
