A transgender florist was hacked to death, shot and mutilated in Malaysia while two men faced trial for a separate incident in which she was tortured and raped, it has emerged.
Sameera Krishman was brutally murdered in the city of Kuantan, eastern Malaysia, the day before her 28th birthday.
The attack came as two men were due to appear in court accused of a separate attack two years ago in which she was kidnapped, raped and tortured.
Although a motive for the killing has yet to be revealed, campaigners say she was targeted for being transgender amid fears over the rising influence of sharia law in the country.
Krishman was repeatedly knifed and shot after going out to buy some food on February 23. Her dead body was then mutilated by her attackers.
Shocking photos show her body covered with a white sheet as medics were working at the scene.
Meanwhile, two men are standing trial over an attack on the 27-year-old in 2015.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports activists as pointing to the rise in Malaysia of sharia law, under which even cross dressing is illegal.
This means that Muslim transgender people 'can be arrested and prosecuted simply for stepping outside of their house wearing the clothes that they believe reflect their true gender,' said
Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division said Muslim transgender women in Malaysia 'can be arrested and prosecuted simply for stepping outside of their house wearing the clothes that they believe reflect their true gender.'
>religion of peace
