Lawyer: Pakistan governor's killer sentenced to death

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- A security guard who killed a liberal politician in Pakistan over his remarks on its controversial blasphemy law has been convicted and sentenced to death, his defense lawyer told CNN.
Raja Shuja Ur Rehman said the court in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, also imposed a penalty of $2,250.
Police say Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, a policeman serving as a security guard at the time, shot dead Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab province, on January 4 over his remarks on Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law in a market in Islamabad.
Police said Qadri was charged with murder and with committing an act of terrorism, because the shooting occurred in a public place. He was sentenced to death on both counts.
His lawyer said Qadri planned to file an appeal against the ruling in a higher court.
"It is an unjust decision, as the act of terrorism and the murder were not proved," Rehman told CNN.
Police have said Qadri confessed to gunning down the politician he was supposed to be protecting.
But Rehman said Qadri did not admit to the murder. The lawyer argued that Qadri's actions had not been a crime in the circumstances.
"I acted against a blasphemer per the guidelines of the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed," Qadri told the judge, according to his lawyer. "I didn't kill an innocent person."
Since the shooting, Pakistan's hard-line religious groups have congratulated Qadri and held demonstrations calling him a hero. They have called for his release, while condemning anyone who tries to change Pakistan's blasphemy laws.
Qadri was also given a hero's welcome in jail, where several prisoners offered him their food and clothes.
His supporters also brought flowers and cards to the jail on Valentine's Day.
"Around 50 people stood outside the jail bearing flowers and Valentine's wishes for the assassin," Rehman said. "It wasn't clear whether jail officials delivered the flowers to Qadri."
The trial was conducted by Pakistan's anti-terrorist court, a special court set up to allow swift justice for terror suspects. It was held inside the jail where Qadri is being kept for security reasons.
Taseer, a successful businessman as well as politician, had spoken out against Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law, which makes it a crime punishable by death to insult Islam, the Quran or the Prophet Mohammed. The legislation has been criticized by some as being used to entrap minorities.
Police say that Taseer's family members have been receiving threats from militants since his assassination.
His son Shahbaz Taseer, who was taking care of his father's business interests, was kidnapped in the eastern city of Lahore, the governor's home town, last month.