Pakistan's Supreme Court upheld the convictions of...

Pakistan's Supreme Court upheld the convictions of 22 men who had received mandatory death sentences for gang rapes. The sentences relate to nine different cases of gang rapes tried under strict Islamic law to deal with the problem of violent crime, particularly against women.
Under the Islamic Hudd Ordinance of 1979, death is the only punishment for those found guilty of gang rapes involving at least two or more perpetrators.
The three-judge bench that dismissed the appeals of the 22 men was also asked to revise the law and remove the mandatory death sentence on the argument that even murder can entail a lesser punishment. But the court refused to do so, saying it had the power to interpret the law but not to change it, witnesses said.
Lawyers say the 22 can now only appeal to the president for mercy.
The number of rapes in Pakistan is not known because many victims prefer to hide the crime to protect their reputations, but newspapers report such incidents across the country almost daily.
Many cases involve gang rapes, mostly in rural areas of Pakistan where a feudal system still prevails.