Brother defends killing Pakistani social-media star 'for honor'
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 17 July 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Brother defends killing Pakistani social-media star 'for honor', 17 July 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57a43c88e.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Last updated (GMT/UTC): 17.07.2016 17:37
Qandeel Baloch
The brother of a murdered Pakistani social-media star says he is not "embarrassed" to have killed her.
Pakistani police arrested the brother of social-media celebrity Qandeel Baloch on July 16 and accused him of murdering his sister.
Wassem Azeem has confessed to drugging and then strangling her "for honor."
Speaking to journalist on July 17, Azeem said he had no regrets.
"It was around 10:45 p.m. when I gave her a tablet ... and then killed her," he said.
"I am not embarrassed at all over what I did," he added.
Baloch was killed on July 15 at her family's home near Sultan in southern Punjab. She was buried on July 17.
Baloch gained notoriety by appearing on the Pakistan Idol TV show and by conducting a social-media campaign in which she promoted women's rights in Pakistan's conservative society.
She had nearly 800,000 Facebook fans and 40,000 Twitter followers.
The killing of Baloch, who had recently stirred controversy by posting pictures of herself smoking with a prominent Muslim cleric, has caused outrage in Pakistan, where every year hundreds of women are killed by relatives who accuse them of violating religious norms.
The leading daily newspaper Dawn has expressed hope that Baloch's murder would spark a national round of soul-searching and finally lead to the end of Pakistan's "honor killing" phenomenon.
Based on reporting by AFP, AP and Reuters
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
