Man awarded death sentence for killing transgender person

PESHAWAR: A local court has awarded death sentence to a man in the murder case of a transgender who was shot dead some three years ago in the provincial metropolis.

The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge, Peshawar Saadia Andaleeb, awarded the death sentence to Fazal Dayan, alias Fazal Gujar after the prosecution and lawyer of the slain transgender person, Alisha, proved the murder charges against him.

However, the court acquitted co-accused Rahmatullah in the murder case by giving him benefit of doubt.

The transgender Alisha, who was shot eight times by the accused Fazal Dayan, a disgruntled customer in May 2016 after she failed to pay him extortion. “The direct nomination of the accused Fazal Dayan in the dying declaration, recovery of blood, three 30 bore empties from the place of occurrence, recovery of crime weapon including 30 bore pistol form possession of accused Fazal Dayan and positive report of FSL, medico legal evidence coupled with pointation of the place of occurrence by accused and establishment of motive along with rest of the prosecution witnesses testimony furnished by them coupled with circumstantial evidence provided,” the judge stated in the 36-page detailed judgment.

Resultantly, it said, the prosecution has fully established the case and charge against the accused facing the trial and thus succeeded in proving charge against the accused and thus the court has awarded him death sentence and fine of Rs10,00,000 to be paid to legal heirs of the transgender if any.

Gul Rehman Advocate appeared for the deceased Alisha in the case along with the senior public prosecutor representing the state. The human rights and transgender rights activists widely hailed the court decision by awarding death sentence to the murderer of the transgender.

Qamar Nasim and Taimur Kamal, who are working for transgender persons rights in the province told The News that 67 transgender persons had been killed since 2015 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and it is the first case the murderer was awarded capital punishment.

Farzana Jan, President KP TransAllaince, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa termed it a historic decision and said after capital punishment the murderers of transgender persons would think twice before killing a transgender person.