Pakistan’s police arrested three men on suspicion of killing two transgender women with daggers at their home in the country’s conservative northwest, police said on Wednesday.
District police chief Zahur Babar Afridi told reporters that the men were arrested Tuesday over the killings, which took place Sunday in Mardan, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The men, who were handcuffed and whose faces were covered with hoods, were present at the police news conference. Afridi said the three men had confessed to the killings during questioning.
Transgender people are often subjected to harassment, abuse and attacks in Muslim-majority Pakistan. They are also among the victims of so-called honor killings carried out by relatives to punish perceived sexual transgressions.
Mardan is located 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
From news to politics, travel to sport, culture to climate – The Independent has a host of free newsletters to suit your interests. To find the stories you want to read, and more, in your inbox, click here.
