Two U.S. senators are demanding an accounting from Pakistan for the reported acquittal of suspects in the attempted murder of Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai.
In a June 29 letter to Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, Jalil Abbas Jilani, senators Marco Rubio and Barbara Boxer expressed deep concern over the recent acquittal of eight out of 10 suspects.
“We urge the government of Pakistan to redouble its efforts...to bring those responsible for this brutal attack to justice,” the two top members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said.
In April, Pakistani officials announced that all 10 suspects were found guilty for their roles in shooting Malala in 2012 and were given 25-year prison sentences.
But more recently, media reports surfaced that eight of the 10 were actually acquitted of the charges.
News of the acquittals raises “significant concerns about the transparency and the accountability of the Pakistani judicial system,” the senators said.
The Taliban targeted Malala because she championed the cause of girls’ education. Her efforts later made her the youngest person in history to earn the Noble Peace Prize.