Pakistan: Baloch's brother acquitted after 'honor killing'

A Pakistani appeals court on Monday acquitted the brother of a social media star who was murdered in an "honor killing," lawyers said. 

Qandeel Baloch was strangled in 2016 after becoming famous for her suggestive and defiant social media posts.

The case became Pakistan's most high profile "honor killing" of recent years — where women are punished, or killed, by male relatives for purportedly bringing "shame" to a family's reputation.

Muhammad Waseem was found guilty of murdering his sister, Baloch, and had received a life-imprisonment sentence. But after serving less than six years in prison, he is set to walk free. 

Why was he acquitted?

In Pakistan, Islamic law has long allowed a murder victim's family to pardon a convicted killer. 

Baloch's parents initially insisted their son would be given no absolution. But they later changed their minds and said they wanted him to be forgiven.

A lawyer for his mother said she had given "her consent" to pardon him. 

"I am happy over the acquittal of my son, but we are still sad for our daughter's loss," the mother said. She told reporters that her slain daughter cannot come back, "But I am thankful to the court, which ordered the release of my son at our request."

However, under a recent Pakistani law change, perpetrators are no longer able to seek forgiveness from the victim's family. Still, only the judge can decide if a murder is defined as a crime of honor, which means killers can claim a different motive to be pardoned. 

It is unclear if Waseem did just that, but a lawyer said major witnesses had retracted their testimony, prompting the acquittal. 

The murder of Qandeel Baloch

Baloch had become known for speaking of trying to change "the typical orthodox mindset" of people in Pakistan. She continued to post content — that was seen as provocative — despite receiving frequent abuse and death threats.

In 2016, 26-year-old Baloch was found strangled in her home near the city of Multan in Punjab province. 

Her brother confessed to killing her after she posted racy pictures on Facebook of herself with a Muslim cleric, Mufti Abdul Qawi.

Abdul Qawi was arrested for alleged involvement in the murder but was later freed due to lack of evidence. 

Baloch's killing triggered protests across Pakistan and sparked an outpouring of grief on social media. 

Hundreds of women in Pakistan are killed each year by family members in the name of "honor." 

fb/wmr (AFP, AP)