Premier Giuseppe Conte on
Tuesday wrote to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan asking him
for justice for a 25-year-old Pakistani-Italian woman from
Brescia whose male relatives were acquitted of killing her after
she refused an arranged marriage despite her father having
reportedly confessed to strangling her.
"The death of young Sana Cheema has deeply shaken our
country," Conte said.
"For this reason I have sent a letter to the Pakistani prime
minister to attest the Italian government's hope that light is
shed as soon as possible on the responsibilities for her brutal
murder".
"He said Italian public opinion expects that "the culprits be
brought to justice".
A Pakistani court on Friday acquitted Cheema's father, uncle
and brother.
The relatives were cleared of the 'honour killing' because of
a "lack of clear proof", the court in Pakistan said.
Cheema's family claimed she had died of natural causes but an
autopsy said she had been strangled to death.
The centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD)'s Alfredo
Bazoli said the acquittals were "disconcerting" and urged the
Italian diplomatic service to contact Pakistani authorities
"over this murky affair", recalling that Cheema's father had
confessed to her murder.
Bazoli is PD chief on the House justice committee.
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