Six sentenced to death for lynching Sri Lankan factory manager in Pakistan

A Pakistani court sentenced six men to death on Monday in a mass trial for the mob lynching of a clothes factory's Sri Lankan manager in eastern Pakistan last year, the case's public prosecutor said.

The vigilante attack in Sialkot city of Punjab province last Dec.3 caused outrage, with then prime minister Imran Khan, calling it a “day of shame for Pakistan.”

Mobile phone footage shows him being chased onto a roof then beaten with sticks, dragged onto the streets, stripped and set alight. One man who seeks to help him is shoved aside, according to images on social media that shocked both nations.

On Monday, prosecutors said 88 of 89 people on trial for the murder of Priyantha Kumara had been convicted, with six sentenced to death, nine to life in prison and the rest jail terms ranging from two to five years.

“The prosecution team worked very hard to present its case to the court and to reach this judgement,” Abdul Rauf Wattoo, the lead public prosecutor, told reporters. “We are satisfied with the outcome.”

The trial was overseen by a special anti-terror court, established to speed up justice in high profile cases that can otherwise spend years being processed.

At the time of the killing, local police officials told reporters that rumours spread that Diyawadana had torn down a religious poster and thrown it in the dustbin.

Several gruesome video clips shared on social media showed a mob beating the prone victim while chanting slogans against blasphemy. Other clips showed Kumara’s body set ablaze.

Many in the mob made no attempt to hide their identity and some took selfies in front of the burning corpse.

Rights groups say accusations of blasphemy can often be wielded to settle personal vendettas, with minorities largely the target.