Thousands of people have signed a petition calling for authorities to intervene.

Two Indian sisters have been sentenced to gang rape as punishment.

Their crime?

Absolutely nothing.

Meenakshi Kumari, 23, and her 15-year-old sister are now on the run after an unelected group of men from the Baghpat district made an illegal ruling for the sisters to be gang raped, then stripped naked and paraded through their village with their faces blackened.

According to Amnesty International, “the ‘sentence’ was handed down as punishment after their brother eloped with a married woman.”

Image via Amnesty International.

An Amnesty International petition calling for authorities to intervene has now been signed more than 150,000 times ( you can add your name to the list here.)

“Nothing could justify this abhorrent punishment,” the petition reads.

“It’s not fair. It’s not right. And it’s against the law. Demand that the local authorities intervene immediately,” it says.

Indian authorities are investigating the men behind the ‘Khap’ court – the name given to these illegal and barbaric village rulings, which are sadly not uncommon in India.

This from Amnesty International:

Many celebrities have also taken up the cause, with big names including Queen’s Brian May, author Richard Dawkins and Scottish actor Douglas Henshaw speaking out against the horrific case.

Image via Twitter.

To sign the petition to save the sisters, visit Amnesty International’s website .