Pakistan rape acquittals rejected

Pakistan's Supreme Court has suspended the acquittals of five men in a notorious gang rape case that has sparked worldwide outrage.
The Supreme Court said it would retry the men convicted and then acquitted of raping Mukhtar Mai in 2002, allegedly on the orders of a village council.

Ms Mai, who had appealed against the acquittals, said she was delighted with the decision.

The court ordered the men be detained in judicial custody until the trial.

Trial of 14

The acquittals had earlier been ordered by the Lahore High Court in March on the grounds of lack of evidence.


The Supreme Court will now try a total of 14 men - the five acquitted by the Lahore court, a sixth man whose death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by that court and another eight men acquitted at the original trial.

The date of the new trial has yet to be fixed.

Ms Mai, who was in court with human rights activists to hear the ruling, said she hoped she would finally get justice.

"I am very happy. I am feeling highly satisfied," Ms Mai, 33, said.

A village council allegedly ordered the rape because her younger brother was seen with a woman from a more influential tribe.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry said in the ruling: "The inspector general of Punjab police is directed to arrest them and hand them over to judicial custody, pending final disposal of the appeals."

The arrest order is a legal mechanism as all 14 men are already in custody.

'Three choices'

The case acquired political overtones after President Pervez Musharraf barred Ms Mai from travelling abroad, fearing she might undermine Pakistan's image.

The government has stationed police at her home in Meerwala, in central Punjab province, saying she needs protection.

But she has complained that she is under virtual house arrest.

On Monday Ms Mai confirmed she had now been given back her passport.

Critics of Pakistan's judicial and social systems say the Mukhtar Mai case is an example of appalling treatment often handed out to women, particularly in feudal, rural areas.

President Musharraf says the case is not representative.

"We are no worse than any other developing country," he said earlier this month during a tour of New Zealand.

Ms Mai spoke of her ordeal in an interview with the Christian Science Monitor on Monday.

She said: "I had three choices. Either to commit suicide by jumping in a well or shed tears all my life like any other victim in such cases, or challenge the cruel feudal and tribal system and harsh attitudes of society."

She also said she had been flooded with marriage proposals but believed most were motivated by greed.

"I could see dollars flashing in their eyes. I tell them if you want to marry me then live with me in the village and serve the people. Then they don't return."

PAKISTAN RAPE STATISTICS
320 reported rapes in first nine months of 2004
350 reported gang rapes in same period
39 people arrested
Police cases registered in only a third of reported rapes
Source: Human Rights Commission of Pakistan