Pakistan’s Blasphemy Law Exalts Killer, Threatens Bloggers

People visit the shrine of Mumtaz Qadri, who was hanged for gunning down a politician who criticized Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law and defended a Christian woman, in Barakhao, Pakistan. AP Photo/B.K. Bangash

BARAKHAO, Pakistan—Two ornate minarets pierce the evening sky. They frame the emerald green colored dome of an ornate shrine erected to honor Mumtaz Qadri, an assassin hanged for gunning down a politician who criticized Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy law and defended a Christian woman sentenced to death for allegedly insulting Islam.

Mumtaz Qadri arrives at a court in Islamabad, Pakistan in this Jan 5, 2011 file photo. AP Photo/B.K. Bangash