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Pakistani free speech activist shot dead

By Amy R. Connolly

KARACHI, Pakistan, April 25 (UPI) -- Sabeen Mahmud, an outspoken human-rights activist known for running a cafe that hosted open discussions about social issues, was shot and killed Friday.

Mahmud, 40, was shot five times at point-blank range shortly after she locked up The Second Floor, or T2F, cafe for the night. Her mother was also shot but is expected to survive.

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Mahmud was hosting a discussion called "Unsilencing Balochistan" about the disappearance of some 2,800 people from Balochistan whose bodies were found years later. Human-rights activists blame the disappearances on the Pakistani government.

Mahmud's death sent shockwaves among those in Pakistan who believed in her progressive values. She spoke freely in a country where many were afraid and became a figurehead for love and tolerance. In opening T2F, which has been described as a community space for open dialogue, Mahmud knew about the potential dangers.

"She took that torch into the dark forest and so many people followed. She really, truly was a success story of the heart," close friend and BBC journalist Ziad Zafar told CNN.

No one has claimed responsibility and police have not named any suspects.

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