Eight men gang-rape woman in Pakistan, share video online

The reported gang rape of a woman near Pakistan's northeastern city of Lahore has sparked widespread condemnation.

According to a police report, the woman and her husband were traveling by motorbike on May 25 to Hafizabad, a city on the outskirts of Lahore, when some men stopped them. The suspects allegedly abducted the couple and took them to a nearby graveyard.

There, the attackers reportedly tied up the husband and eight men raped the woman, while one of them recorded the assault on video, according to the First Information Report (FIR) filed by police. The video was later uploaded online.

The suspects also stole cash, gold jewelry, and a mobile phone from the couple before fleeing the scene.

Fearing the suspects' influence and social stigma, the victims initially remained silent. However, they approached the police after videos of the assault began circulating online. The couple named four individuals in the police report.

The FIR includes multiple charges, including gang rape, kidnapping, assault on a woman’s modesty, robbery, criminal intimidation, and criminal conspiracy. The case has been handed over to the Special Sexual Offences Investigation Unit for further investigation.

The case has drawn comparisons to previous high-profile assaults that led to public protests and demands for legal reforms.

In 2021, a court sentenced to death two men for raping a Pakistani-French woman in front of her children after finding them stranded on a motorway near Lahore.

Pakistan ranks among the countries with high rates of gender-based violence, and rights groups have long urged authorities to strengthen legal protections and improve enforcement mechanisms.