Pakistani court indicts man over killing of teenage TikTok influencer

Umar Hayat, 22, pleads not blameworthy to murdering 17-year-old Sana Yousaf successful her location earlier this year.

A antheral accused of murdering a 17-year-old societal media influencer astatine her location successful Pakistan aft she repeatedly rejected his advances has been formally indicted.

Sana Yousaf’s murder successful June this twelvemonth drew nationwide condemnation and reignited statement implicit women’s safety, aft immoderate online comments – alongside condolences – blamed her for her ain death.

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The 22-year-old accused, Umar Hayat, besides a TikTok influencer, pleaded not blameworthy successful a tribunal successful the superior Islamabad connected Saturday arsenic the proceedings formally began.

“All the allegations made against maine are baseless and false,” Hayat, who is from Faisalabad metropolis successful Punjab province, told Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka.

The tribunal adjourned the proceeding until September 25, erstwhile it volition perceive from witnesses and formally framework the charges, reported Pakistan’s The Express Tribune newspaper.

Yousaf had much than a cardinal followers connected societal media accounts, including TikTok, wherever she shared videos of her favourite cafes, skincare products and accepted outfits.

TikTok is wildly fashionable successful Pakistan, successful portion due to the fact that of its accessibility to a colonisation with debased literacy levels. Women person recovered some an assemblage and income connected the app, which is uncommon successful a state wherever less than a 4th of women enactment successful the ceremonial economy.

Sana Yousaf [Screengrab/Social Media]

According to police, Yousaf was changeable astatine adjacent scope wrong her home. Hayat reportedly entered her house, opened fire, and past fled the scene.

Police described the sidesplitting arsenic a “gruesome and cold-blooded murder”, alleging Hayat killed Yousaf aft she repeatedly rejected his proposals.

Charges against the accused see execution and taking distant the victim’s mobile telephone successful an effort to hitch retired the grounds of being repeatedly rejected by her, Pakistan’s English-language paper Dawn reported Islamabad Inspector General Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi arsenic saying.

Some comments successful societal media posts sharing the quality of Yousaf’s execution suggested it was justified successful a nine wherever honour codes dictate however women should behave. “You reap what you sow,” said 1 user.

Violence against women is pervasive successful Pakistan, according to the country’s Human Rights Commission, and cases of women being attacked aft rejecting matrimony proposals are not uncommon.

In 2021, 27-year-old Noor Mukadam was beheaded by her Pakistani-American boyfriend, Zahir Jaffer, aft she rejected his matrimony connection successful a lawsuit that sparked wide anger.