ISLAMABAD — Police in eastern Pakistan on Wednesday arrested 20 members of a village council after they ordered the "revenge rape" of a teenage girl, officials said, bringing the spotlight on the country's brutal tribal justice system. The council ordered the rape to punish the victim's brother for allegedly raping another teenage girl from the same village, the police officer said. Village councils are considered a local alternative to Pakistan's weak justice system, where trials often linger in courts for years, but their decisions based on tribal customs often attract criticism. The incident has attracted an outcry from rights activists, with prominent lawyer Asma Jahangir calling for a revamp of the criminal justice system to eliminate the role of private councils. These councils have particularly been harsh against women, and young girls are often traded between families to settle disputes.

Source: The China Post July 27, 2017 00:00 UTC