Man Who Murdered, Sexually Assaulted 7-Year-Old Girl Sentenced to Death

A Pakistani man has been sentenced to death for the rape and murder of 7-year-old Zainab Ansari. Her death last month sparked protests in Pakistan.

After a four-day trial, Imran Ali, 24, was convicted in a Lahore court on four counts of murder, abduction, rape and sodomy of a minor, CNN reports.

Zainab was abducted on Jan. 4 in Kasur, a city south of Lahore, while her parents were on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. The next day, her uncle told authorities she was missing. Her body was found in garbage near her home three days after her disappearance.

Two weeks later, Imran was arrested.

"I am very thankful to the chief justice; he treated Zainab like his own daughter," Zainab's father, Amin Ansari, told Al Jazeera.

However, her mother, Nusrat Amin, told Al Jazeera she thought the death sentence was still not enough after what prosecutors say he did to their daughter.

"I want him hanged where he threw Zainab's body. And he should be stoned. Hanging him is just ordinary for him," Nusrat said. "Everyone should take part in stoning him. And this thing about four hangings, one hanging, two hangings, what difference does it make? I want him hanged where he killed my girl."

Zaiab's family is also set to receive 1 million Pakistani rupees from Imran. The perpetrator was found by police after he was seen on closed circuit television with Zainab. One of her neighbors identified him as the man she went with.

Police also said that Imran's DNA matched those found on seven other girls' bodies, Reuters reports. The attacker will be tried on the other cases at a later date, prosecutors said.

Zainab's death sparked protests throughout Pakistan, as it was the latest attack against a young girl in the country. According to Al Jazeera, at least 10 cases similar to Zainab's are reported each day. Residents told Reuters this was the 12th similar incident in the past year.

In 2015, a gang ran a pedophilia ring in a village near Kasur, with over 200 children targeted by the ring. Footage was created to use as blackmail against parents, according to the Human Rights Commission Pakistan. Only two of at least a dozen suspects in the case have been convicted so far.

Photo credit: YouTube/ BBC