A Pakistani court has sentenced Umar Hayat, 23, to death for the murder of 17-year-old TikTok and Instagram influencer Sana Yousaf. The killing last year sparked widespread outrage and reignited debates over women’s safety in Pakistan. According to multiple reports, Hayat had developed an obsession with Yousaf after online interactions and shot her dead at her home following repeated rejections of his advances.
Key Takeaways
A Pakistani court has sentenced Umar Hayat to death for the murder of 17-year-old TikTok star Sana Yousaf in Islamabad last year. The killing sparked widespread outrage and reignited debates over women’s safety in Pakistan. According to multiple reports, Hayat had developed an obsession with Yousaf after online interactions and shot her dead at her home following repeated rejections of his advances.
- Umar Hayat sentenced to death for the murder of Sana Yousaf
- The court ordered Hayat to pay 2.5 million rupees ($9,000) as compensation to Yousaf's family
- Yousaf had over a million followers on TikTok and half a million more on Instagram
- Activists say the murder is part of a larger pattern of violence against women in Pakistan
The court also ordered Hayat to pay 2.5 million rupees ($9,000) as compensation to Yousaf's family. The verdict was handed down by an Islamabad court on Tuesday afternoon in a cramped courtroom filled with journalists and family members. According to Al Jazeera, Yousaf’s father, Syed Yousaf Hassan, said the verdict was “a lesson for all such criminals in society.” Hayat confessed to the crime in July, admitting he had developed a one-sided obsession with Yousaf following online interactions.
Yousaf had more than a million followers on TikTok and half a million more on Instagram before her death. She was well-loved by fans for her light-hearted content, including fashion trends, lip-syncing to songs, and hanging out with friends. However, some online comments blamed the teenager for her own murder, writing comments such as: “You reap what you sow” and “It's deserved, she was tarnishing Islam.”
Activists say Yousaf’s murder is part of a larger pattern of violence against women in Pakistan. According to Al Jazeera, Nighat Dad, the executive director of Digital Rights Foundation, said that when young women assert boundaries or say no to romantic or sexual advances, it bruises the male ego, especially in a society that teaches men entitlement over women’s bodies and choices. In all, 346 women in Pakistan were killed in 2024 in the name of “honour”, up from 324 in 2023.
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