Pakistan court sentences man to death for murdering TikTok star

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - ISLAMABAD — A court in the Pakistan capital has sentenced a 22-year-old man to death for murdering a teenage influencer who repeatedly rejected his advances.
The murder of 17-year-old TikTok star Sana Yousaf in June last year sparked uproar across the country. It also reignited debate about the safety of women after some people left online comments blaming Yousaf for her own death.
Umar Hayat broke into the home of Yousaf after she rejected his repeated advances, and shot her dead.
Hayat, now 23, admitted his crime in July, saying he had developed a one-sided obsession with Yousaf after some interactions online.
Yousaf's father Syed Yousaf Hassan said the verdict handed down by the Islamabad court was "a lesson for all such criminals in society", local media reported.
The court also ordered Hayat to pay 2.5 million rupees ($9,000; £6,700) as compensation to Yousaf's family.
During investigations, Hayat said he had travelled to Islamabad days before the killing to wish Yousaf well on her birthday. Despite Yousaf's refusal to meet him, he managed to make his way to her home – where the two had an argument which escalated into the killing, according to Pakistani media.
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 that of her trying out fashion trends, lip-syncing to songs, and just hanging out with friends.
Police raided locations across the capital, where Yousaf lived with her family, and the province of Punjab, scanning footage from 113 CCTV cameras in all.
While many have shared their outrage over Yousaf's death, there has also been backlash toward her work as an influencer.
Usama Khilji, director of digital rights advocacy group Bolo Bhi, told the BBC in an earlier interview that such criticism had been coming from a small portion of mostly male internet users, some of whom have cited religious grounds.
"They're asking why she was putting up all this content, and even suggesting the family should take down her Instagram and TikTok accounts because they add to her 'sins'," Khilji said.
Farzana Bari, a prominent human rights activist, argued the reaction is "misogynistic" and "patriarchal".
Yousaf had her "own voice", she said, adding that the discourse online is a reminder that social media has become a "very threatening place for female content creators" in Pakistan.
According to experts, Yousaf’s murder is not an isolated case, but part of a wider culture rooted in misogyny where women are punished for their independence and visibility.
“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,” Nighat Dad, the head of a nongovernmental advocacy group told Al Jazeera TV.
“This entitlement, when left unchecked by law, culture, and platforms, turns deadly,” Dad said.
In all, 346 women in Pakistan were killed in 2024 in the name of “honour”, up from 324 in 2023, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).