LAHORE, Pakistan, May 27 (UPI) -- A woman died in Lahore, Pakistan, on Tuesday, after being stoned to death for marrying a man outside the wishes of her family.
Farzana Parveen, also identified as Farzana Bibi, died outside Lahore High Court after she was struck with sticks and attacked with bricks by her relatives. Her parents accused her husband, Muhammad Iqbal, of kidnapping her, but she testified to police she had married him of her own accord after an engagement of several years.
Parveen, 25, was attacked by about a dozen people as she arrived at the court building.
Marriages arranged by families are the norm in Pakistan, and marriages against the wishes of relatives are culturally unacceptable in many parts of the country.
Police official Umer Cheema said her father turned himself in immediately after the attack, claiming he killed his daughter in the name of family honor. All other family members escaped.
Analysts have said a killing such as this -- in broad daylight and in public view -- is rare. And while these so-called "honor killings" are illegal in Pakistan, the Human Rights of Pakistan reported 869 women were killed over familial honor in 2013.
