Multan, Pakistan: The brother of Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch was on Friday convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison in the patriarchal country’s highest-profile “honour killing”.
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Baloch, who shot to fame for her risque selfies – tame by Western standards, but considered provoca-tive in Pakistan – was strangled in July 2016.
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Her brother Muhammad Waseem was arrested. Days later he told a press conference that he had no remorse over what he did, saying that “of course” he had murdered his sister and that her behaviour had been “intolerable”.
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His lawyer, Sardar Mehmood, told AFP the court in the eastern city of Multan had found his client guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment, in a long-awaited verdict.
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“Inshallah (God willing), he will be acquitted by a high court,” he said.
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Earlier, Baloch’s mother Anwar Mai told AFP she had hoped her son would be acquitted.
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“He is innocent. She was my daughter and he is my son,” she said.
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Baloch’s murder made international headlines and reignited calls for action against an epidemic of so-called “honour killings”, in which a victim – usually a woman – is murdered for flouting patriarchal social codes.
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Women have been burned, shot, stabbed and strangled for offences such as choosing their own hus-band or – in Baloch’s case – bringing “shame” on their family by celebrating their sexuality.
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The killings are usually carried out by a close relative. Under Pakistan’s Qisas (blood money) and Diyat (retribution) law, they can then seek forgiveness from a victim’s relatives.
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Three months after Baloch’s murder, parliament passed new legislation mandating life imprisonment for honour killings.
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However, whether a murder is defined as a crime of honour is left to the judge’s discretion, meaning that killers can theoretically claim a different motive and still be pardoned.
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In Baloch’s case, her parents initially insisted their son would be given no absolution.
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But, heartbroken at the thought of losing him also, they changed their minds and said they wanted him to be forgiven.
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International revulsion at the killing had seen the Pakistani state take the unprecedented step of de-claring itself an heir alongside the parents, however, forcing the case to move ahead.
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Some of Baloch’s better-known actions included offering to perform a striptease for the Pakistani cricket team, and donning a plunging scarlet dress on Valentine’s Day.
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She attracted criticism and threats but was perceived by many, including young people, as breaking new ground in a country where presenting yourself as a Kim Kardashian-like figure can be seen as a bold, political act of women’s empowerment.
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The roots of “honour” killings lie in tribal social norms, which remain prevalent across South Asia and dictate the behaviour of women in particular, though men can be victims too.
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