#news Salman Taseer murder: Mumtaz Qadri sentenced to death

Malik Mumtaz Hussein Qadri became a hero to many in Pakistan

A Pakistani court has found guilty and sentenced to death the police bodyguard who killed Punjab Governor Salman Taseer in January this year.

Mumtaz Qadri had confessed to murder on the grounds that he objected to Mr Taseer's calls to amend the country's controversial blasphemy law.
Critics of the law say it can be used to persecute minority faiths and is sometimes exploited for grudges.
The assassination divided Pakistan, with many hailing Qadri as a hero.
Qadri was part of Mr Taseer's protection team but opened fire on the governor as he was about to get into his car in the capital Islamabad on 4 January.
The trial was held at the high-security Adiyala prison in Rawalpindi and was closed to the media.
"The court has awarded my client with death. The court announced the death sentence for him," defence lawyer Shuja-ur-Rehman told AFP news agency.
Dozens of people gathered outside the prison after the verdict chanting pro-Qadri slogans, a reporter for the agency said.
Qadri's lawyers told the BBC when he was charged that although he admitted killing the governor, he argued that it was not unlawful because "he killed an apostate who insulted the prophet".

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