Pakistan court sentences man to death for killing teen influencer

Islamabad, Pakistan: A Pakistani court sentenced a man to death on Tuesday for murdering a teenage influencer last year after she had repeatedly rejected his advances.

Sana Yousaf's murder in June drew nationwide condemnation and reignited debate over women's safety.

A judge announced to a cramped Islamabad courtroom on Tuesday afternoon that 22-year-old Umar Hayat was sentenced to death and fined $7,200, an AFP reporter saw.

"This verdict is a lesson for anyone who commits such acts, showing that they should never be repeated," Yousaf's father told journalists outside the courtroom, alongside her mother.

Hayat shot 17-year-old TikTok star Yousaf at her home in the capital after she repeatedly rejected him, according to police and the teenager's family.

Yousaf had millions of followers on social media, where she posted videos about food, fashion and skincare.

News of her killing triggered an outpouring of comments under her final post, a video celebrating her 17th birthday in which she blew out candles on a cake just days before her death.

In her Instagram profile picture, she is smiling and holding sunflowers.

Widespread violence

Surveillance footage shown during the investigation captured the killer fleeing the influencer's house with her phone.

The victim's mother and paternal aunt were eyewitnesses to the murder.

The 22-year-old confessed to the murder but later retracted his statement.

Mother of Pakistani TikTok influencer Sana Yousaf reacts as she leaves the courtroom after a verdict in Islamabad on May 19, 2026. (Photo by Farooq Naeem / AFP)

Under Pakistan's legal system, the convicted man can still challenge the verdict in a higher court.

Women's rights activists, including some of Yousaf's friends, staged protests in Islamabad following her killing.

"This is justice not only for Sana, but for society as a whole," Yousaf's father said, his eyes teary and his voice cracking.