Delhi gang-rape lawyers appeal against convictions

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/24/delhi-gang-rape-appeal-convictions

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Lawyers for four men sentenced to death for raping and murdering a young woman on a New Delhi bus have challenged the convictions and death sentences at a high court hearing.

The brutal attack in December sparked a public debate and protests over the chronic sexual violence faced by women in India.

"I am challenging this verdict," said AP Singh, who has defended all four men at various times.

The high court said it would begin hearing prosecution arguments on Wednesday, while defence lawyers file their appeals.

"We have to deal with this as expeditiously as possible because the sword of death is hanging over them," Judge Pratibha Rani said.

It could take weeks or months for the court to hear arguments, review evidence and consider the appeals before deciding whether to confirm the execution orders. A review is required for all death penalty cases in India, and the same court is hearing the men's appeals.

For Tuesday's hearing, the men walked under police escort from a bus into the high court complex. Three had their faces uncovered in public for the first time since the crime, while one wore a handkerchief tied over his nose and mouth.

In sentencing the four, trial court Judge Yogesh Khanna said the crime had "shocked the collective conscience" of India.

The four had been joyriding through New Delhi on a bus the night of 16 December when they lured the 23-year-old woman and her male friend into boarding. They then beat the friend, took turns raping the woman and violated her with an iron rod. She died from internal injuries two weeks later.

Another defendant hanged himself in prison, though his family insists he was murdered. An 18-year-old who was a juvenile at the time of the attack was sentenced in August to a maximum of three years in a reform home.

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