Pakistan's Supreme Court [5] on Oct. 6 upheld the death sentence [6] of Mumtaz Qadri [7], a former police guard respected within Pakistan for killing politician [8] Salmaan Taseer over his support for a woman convicted of blasphemy. Taseer, governor of Punjar at the time of his death, was leaving a restaurant in January 2011 when he was shot and killed. Taseer had drawn ire from religious conservative groups when he took up the cause of a Christian woman sentenced to death for insulting the Prophet Muhammed. The next possible step for Qadri will be an appeal for a presidential pardon, which is unlikely to be granted.
Pakistan has faced international scrutiny in recent years for its enforcement of blasphemy laws [9]. In March a judge in Pakistan's Lahore District and Sessions court [10] sentenced Liaquat Ali to death [11] for blasphemy. Last October the Lahore High Court upheld the death sentence [12] for Aasiya Noreen (better known as Asia Bibi), who was convicted of blasphemy in 2010. In July of last year a Pakistan court convicted and sentenced Zulfiqar to death [13] for blasphemy after he was arrested in 2008 for writing blasphemous statements against Islam on walls.
From Jurist [14], Oct. 8. Used with permission.
