ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 18 (UPI)

A Pakistani couple sentenced to prison on the grounds that they were married as lesbians appealed Monday, calling for a gender test. The Lahore High Court ordered the sentence for Shumail Raj and Shahzina Tariq last month. Babar Awan, a lawyer representing the couple, said no gender determination was performed on Raj, the husband of the couple, The Press Trust of India reported. The determination of gender in this case was not conclusive … according to the medical report, Awan said. Basically gender determination is a standard operating medical procedure. Unless that is done nobody can determine what is the gender of a particular person. The high court dropped an unnatural offense charge and offered the couple an unusual apology before sentencing them, Awan said. The couple are being held in separate jails.

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