They Married—and Were Shot Dead in Broad Daylight

Pakistani authorities have detained at least 11 suspects following the public killing of a couple in a case that has once again put the country's ongoing struggle with so-called honor killings in the spotlight. The victims, accused by a local tribal leader of maintaining an "illicit" relationship, were reportedly executed in broad daylight last month under the elder's orders, per CNN. Disturbing video footage, which has widely circulated online, shows a woman being shot at close range in Balochistan as a crowd looks on. Her final words, spoken in Brahvi, were: "You are only allowed to fire at me, nothing else." Another video reveals the aftermath, with the bodies of both victims lying side by side.

Police believe the clips are authentic, though CNN was unable to independently verify them. The incident is only the latest in a pattern of honor killings that stubbornly persists despite legal reforms. According to police and human rights advocates, these murders are typically driven by family or community leaders who see violence as a means to restore family honor, usually in response to a woman's defiance of traditional roles or other personal decisions. The couple killed had married against the wishes of their families, the Guardian reports.

Official statistics note at least 335 women and 119 men lost their lives to honor killings in Pakistan last year—numbers that human rights groups say likely understate the true scale of the problem due to underreporting. Despite changes in the law to make honor killings punishable by life in prison following the high-profile 2016 murder of social media star Qandeel Baloch, enforcement remains weak and societal attitudes slow to shift. Balochistan's chief minister has condemned the recent killings as a "blatant violation of human dignity," but the underlying issues remain deeply entrenched.