大象传媒

Qandeel Baloch was a social media star who became famous in Pakistan for posting images online considered too daring by some conservative elements of Pakistani society. In 2016, she was strangled to death. Her brother Waseem Baloch admitted murdering her, and was sentenced to life in prison in 2019. He's now been freed by a Pakistan appeals court.

The 大象传媒's Sanjay Dasgupta describes Qandeel Baloch's resilience in the face of criticism, and even death threats, and how her brother had made it clear he felt no remorse about murdering her. The grounds for his aquittal are unclear, as the judgement has not been made public. Waseem Baloch was tried and convicted by a lower court, and the conviction has now been overturned.

Dasgupta goes on to say that the death led to such outrage that the Pakistani parliament tightened the laws around so-called honour killings, but this particular case has still led to an aquittal on appeal.

Photo: A selfie from the Facebook page of social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch. Credit: Reuters

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