Blasphemy
Pakistani student sentenced to death over blasphemous WhatsApp messages
A Pakistani court has sentenced to death a 22-year-old student on charges of blasphemy over alleged Whatsapp messages, media reports said.
The court in Punjab Province said he had shared blasphemous pictures and videos with the intention to outrage the religious feelings of Muslims, reported BBC.
As a part of the same case, another 17-year-old was sentenced to life in prison.
The complaint was filed in 2022 by the cybercrime unit of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Lahore, the capital of Punjab, the British media reported.
The case was later referred to a local court in Gujranwala city.
In their ruling, the judges this week said the 22-year-old was sentenced to death for preparing videos and photos which included derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad and his wives.
The 17-year-old was given a life sentence for sharing the alleged post.
The plaintiff had alleged he had received the videos and photos from three different mobile phone numbers, reported BBC.
The FIA said that it had examined the plaintiff's phone and established that "obscene material" had been sent to him.
Defence lawyers argued that the two students had been “trapped in a false case”, reported Dawn News.
The father of the death-row convict, whose identity has not been disclosed, told the BBC that he was filing an appeal in the Lahore High Court.
The blasphemy law in Pakistan carries a potential death sentence for anyone who insults Islam.
August violence
Several churches in Pakistan's Jaranwala region were vandalised by an angry mob over blasphemy allegations in August 2023.
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