Court issues death sentences to four in online blasphemy case

A court in Rawalpindi has sentenced four men to death for posting blasphemous content online, a lawyer from the Legal Commission on Blasphemy Pakistan (LCBP) confirmed on Monday. “They were sentenced to death... on Friday for spreading blasphemous content online,” said Rao Abdur Raheem, a lawyer with the LCBP. He added that forensic evidence from the devices used in the alleged offences supported the prosecution's case. Despite convictions in several cases, Pakistan has never carried out an execution for blasphemy. Appeals often lead to sentences being commuted to life imprisonment. A member of a support group for the convicted men, speaking anonymously due to security concerns, said the families would challenge the verdict. “We urge the government to investigate the growing number of online blasphemy cases before more young individuals spend the best years of their lives behind bars,” the member said. Rights groups have raised concerns over the increasing number of online blasphemy prosecutions. A report by the National Commission for Human Rights in October revealed that 767 individuals, mostly young men, are currently in jail awaiting trial for blasphemy. “In these cases, due process was notably disregarded, with significant procedural violations observed at multiple stages,” the report stated. It added that private individuals, rather than law enforcement, often carry out arrests in such cases. The LCBP, a prominent group of private lawyers and volunteers, has been at the forefront of prosecuting online blasphemy cases. Sheraz Ahmad Farooqi, one of its leaders, described the group’s efforts as a “noble cause” in an earlier interview. A special court was established last September to expedite dozens of pending blasphemy cases, some of which have dragged on for years.

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