Pakistan appellate court upholds death sentences

A Pakistani appellate court has upheld the death sentences of two men convicted of a 2020 gang assault on a French tourist in front of her children, bringing a definitive legal conclusion to a case that ignited national outrage and protests. The Lahore High Court dismissed the final appeals of Abid Ali, also known as Malhi, and Shafqat Ali on Wednesday, affirming a 2021 anti-terrorism court verdict.

The two men were found guilty of kidnapping, gang assault, robbery, and terrorism-related offenses for an attack that occurred on September 9, 2020. On that night, a French woman of Pakistani origin was traveling with her three children on the Sialkot-Lahore Motorway when her vehicle ran out of fuel, leaving the family stranded. According to investigators, the attackers smashed a window of the locked car, dragged the woman outside, and assaulted her at gunpoint in front of her children. The men also robbed the family of cash, jewellery, and bank cards before fleeing.

Police initiated a manhunt immediately after the incident. Investigators used mobile phone location data from the area to track the suspects, leading to their arrest within days. Forensic teams recovered DNA evidence...