A Pakistani court's verdict sends shockwaves as a 22-year-old student faces death and a minor receives life imprisonment for blasphemy over WhatsApp messages.
In Pakistan, a 22-year-old student has been sentenced to death for blasphemy based on WhatsApp messages, as reported by the BBC. The court in Punjab province ruled that the student used photos and videos containing disrespectful language about Prophet Muhammad.
A 17-year-old student, also implicated, received a life sentence instead of the death penalty due to his minor status. Blasphemy carries the death penalty in Pakistan, though no executions by the state have occurred for this offense. However, there have been instances of individuals accused of blasphemy being attacked by angry mobs.
The case began in 2022 when the cybercrime unit of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Lahore received a complaint. The complainant alleged receiving offensive material through three different mobile phone numbers. The FIA examined the complainant's phone and confirmed the presence of "obscene material."
Lawyers representing the students claim they are caught in a false case, and the father of the student facing the death penalty plans to appeal in the Lahore High Court.
This incident follows a pattern of tension surrounding blasphemy accusations in Pakistan. In August of the previous year, more than 80 Christian homes and 19 churches were vandalized after accusations against two Christian brothers. Additionally, a well-known case involving Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, saw her death sentence overturned, and she fled the country after a decade-long blasphemy dispute.