Qandeel Baloch was killed in 2016 by her brother, who described the behavior on social media as “unforgivable”.
Multan, Pakistan:
A Pakistani man who murdered his famous sister was freed on Saturday after a court ruled it was not an “honor killing”, lawyers say. , allowing their mother to be pardoned.
Qandeel Baloch was strangled to death in 2016 by her brother, Muhammad Waseem, who described her provocative behavior on social media as “unacceptable”.
In the face of public outrage, Pakistan passed a law that is said to close a legal loophole allowing family members to pardon those behind so-called “honor killings”, instead that would impose a mandatory life sentence.
But after less than six years in prison, an appeals judge ruled that Baloch’s murder could not be considered an honor crime, dismissing his confession.
Under other Pakistani laws on murder, the mother is allowed to give him freedom.
“Wasem has been released from prison by order of the Honorable Lahore High Court,” his lawyer Sardar Mehboob told AFP.
“He is a free man now,” he added.
Waseem, 38, was released from prison in the eastern city of Multan after being acquitted on Monday.
Maleeka Bokhari, a female MP, said the government was “conducting a review of legal options” against the acquittal.
Earlier, Pakistani Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the government would oppose the ruling in Pakistan’s highest court.
Chaudhry said on Twitter: “We as a country should be ashamed of such a (law) system.
Baloch became known for her flirtatious and defiant writings, which dented the country’s deeply patriarchal character.
Waseem was arrested shortly after her death and later sentenced to life in prison for strangling her – telling media he had no regrets.
The case became the most famous “honor killing” case in recent years – when women were punished to death by male relatives for deliberately bringing “shame” to a family’s reputation. family.
The court ruling released on Friday said it was “acquitted on the basis of compromise”, saying the killer’s confession “could not be considered more than a piece of paper”.
In Baloch’s case, her parents initially insisted their son would not be forgiven, but later changed their mind and said they wanted the boy to be forgiven.
The mother’s lawyer said she had “agreed” to pardon him, according to lawyer Safdar Shah on Monday.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
