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   LAHORE, Pakistan — A Pakistani court sentenced four men to death on Wednesday for the murder of Farzana Parveen, a pregnant woman who was bludgeoned to death in May for marrying the man of her choice. 
   
   The killing of Ms. Parveen, 25, generated global outrage partly because it occurred in broad daylight on a public street outside the high court in Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city. 
   
   Her father, a brother and two cousins were found guilty of the killing by the court, said Abdul Samad, a senior state prosecutor, after Wednesday’s hearing. Another cousin was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of abetting the crime. 
   
   Ms. Parveen enraged her family in January when she married Muhammad Iqbal, a widower from a neighboring village, instead of the cousin who had been chosen by her parents. 
   
   Months of tension came to a head in May when a mob led by her brother beat her to death outside the gates of the Lahore High Court. Her father was arrested hours later and told the police that she had been killed to preserve the family honor. 
   
   So-called honor killings are common in parts of rural Pakistan, but the gratuitous nature of Ms. Parveen’s murder in a city considered to be the country’s cultural capital brought it to particular attention. 
   
   Ms. Parveen had come to Lahore to testify in a lawsuit brought by her family, who claimed she had been kidnapped by Mr. Iqbal and forced to marry him. 
   
   But their tragic relationship later took a darker twist when it came to light that Mr. Iqbal had killed his first wife years earlier in order to be with Ms. Parveen. He won his freedom through an Islamic provision of Pakistani law. 
   
   Mansoor Afridi, a lawyer for the four condemned men, told journalists after Wednesday’s hearing that his clients had been awarded a “politically motivated” sentence as a result of intense media coverage. They will appeal the judgment. 
   
   State prosecutors rejected that argument, insisting that the police had proven the four men’s guilt using DNA testing and other forensic techniques. 
   
   Rights groups estimate that at least 3,000 women have died in honor killings in Pakistan since 2008. 
   
   Although such killings mostly occur in rural areas, another case also occurred in Lahore a week ago. 
   
   The police said that two brothers had confessed to killing their mother and two stepsisters with an ax because they suspected the women of having illicit relationships. ||||| Image copyright AFP Image caption Muhammad Iqbal, husband of murdered Farzana Parveen, with her body shortly after the attack earlier this year 
   
   A Pakistani court has given the death sentence to four people for bludgeoning to death a pregnant relative who had married without their consent. 
   
   Farzana Parveen, 30, was beaten with bricks and sticks in May outside Lahore's high court. Police deny charges they stood by as it happened. 
   
   Ms Parveen's father, brother, cousin and former fiancé were all found guilty of murder on Wednesday. Another brother got 10 years in jail. 
   
   The case sparked global outrage. 
   
   Ms Parveen had been at the high court to defend her husband in a case brought against him by her relatives. They accused Muhammad Iqbal of abducting her. Ms Parveen had already testified to police that she had married of her own free will. 
   
   According the police, a scuffle took place between about 20 members of Ms Parveen's family and 10-15 of Mr Iqbal's, during which she was struck with a brick three times and fatally wounded. He managed to escape. 
   
   Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Husband Muhammad Iqbal spoke to the BBC in May 2014 about the attack 
   
   Police say that Ms Parveen was dead by the time officers were able to intervene. 
   
   Court officials say the defendants will have the right to appeal in Lahore's high court. 
   
   The BBC's Shaimaa Khalil in Islamabad says Farzana Parveen's death by stoning in broad daylight outside a court is shocking even by the standards of Pakistan, where so-called honour killings are common. 
   
   Our correspondent says death sentences for family members in such cases are unusual, but many are saying there is a chance Farzana Parveen's relatives could walk free or have their sentences reduced on appeal. 
   
   Pakistan 'honour killings' 
   
   Image copyright Getty Images 
   
   •In 2013, 869 women murdered in so-called "honour killings" 
   
   •Campaigners say real number is likely to be much higher 
   
   •Of these, 359 were so called "Karo Kari" cases, whereby family members consider themselves authorised to kill offending relatives to restore honour 
   
   •Rights groups say conviction rate in cases of sexual and other violence against women is "critically low" 
   
   Source: Human Rights Commission of Pakistan annual report 2013 
   
   Why do families kill their daughters? 
   
   There are hundreds of so-called "honour killings" in Pakistan each year. 
   
   This case prompted particular outrage, with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif describing it as "totally unacceptable". 
   
   After she was killed, it emerged that Mr Iqbal had killed his first wife six years earlier in order to marry Ms Parveen. 
   
   Mr Iqbal's son by his first marriage, Aurangzeb, told the BBC in May that relatives had persuaded him to forgive his father, enabling his release from prison under Pakistani law. 
   
   Correspondents say arranged marriages are the norm in Pakistan, and to marry against the wishes of the family is unthinkable in many deeply conservative communities.
target: – A Pakistani court has sentenced a father, brother, and two cousins to death after they used stones and bricks to murder a pregnant relative who married without the family's consent. The decision came yesterday, months after Farzana Parveen's "honor killing" outside a Lahore courthouse in May drew international attention, the New York Times reports. Another relative was handed 10 years in prison. The BBC reports the death sentences are somewhat unusual, and some suspect the sentences will be reduced on appeal. A lawyer for the men says they will indeed appeal the "politically motivated" sentences. Prosecutors, however, say the men's guilt was proven using DNA evidence.