Gang-rape victim appeals for attackers to be executed

FAR from the dusty village where she was brutally assaulted three years ago on the orders of a tribal council, Pakistani rape victim Mukhtar Mai appeared before the Supreme Court in Islamabad yesterday.

She was demanding the reinstatement of death sentences for five of her attackers.

Ms Mai has won international praise for speaking out over the June 2002 gang rape but was recently barred by President Gen Pervez Musharraf from visiting the US because he was concerned it would create bad publicity for Pakistan. The government lifted the ban last week after Washington protested.