Pakistan man sentenced to death for sharing blasphemous material on WhatsApp group

Pakistan: After being charged with sharing blasphemous material in a WhatsApp group, a Muslim man was found guilty and given the death penalty by an anti-terrorism court in northwest Pakistan. In Pakistan, a country with a majority of Muslims, blasphemy is a very sensitive topic; even unverified accusations can incite mobs and bloodshed. The court in Peshawar found Syed Muhammad Zeeshan guilty on Friday under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act and the Anti-Terrorist Act.

Zeeshan a citizen of the city of Mardan was also fined 1.2 million rupees

The court ruling, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, stated, “Accused Syed Muhammad Zeeshan, son of Syed Zakaullah in custody has been convicted and sentenced after being found guilty.” Zeeshan, a citizen of the city of Mardan in Pakistan’s northwest, was also fined 1.2 million rupees ($4,300) and given a total of 23 years in prison. He may file an appeal.

Offensive content in a WhatsApp group

According to Saeed’s attorney, Ibrar Hussain, the case started when Muhammad Saeed, a resident of Talagang in Punjab province, filed a report with the Federal Investigation Agency two years ago accusing Zeeshan of posting offensive content in a WhatsApp group. The “FIA had confiscated Zeeshan’s cell-phone and its forensic examination proved him guilty”, he said.

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Death penalty has never been used to punish the offence

Although blasphemy is prohibited under Pakistani law, the death penalty has never been used to punish the offence. Rights advocates have cautioned that religious minorities, notably Christians, are sometimes caught in the crossfire and that blasphemy accusations are frequently used to settle personal scores even though many cases involve Muslims charging other Muslims. In the past 20 years, blasphemy charges have been brought against 774 Muslims and 760 members of various minority religious groups in Pakistan, according to the National Commission of Justice and Peace, a human rights and legal help organisation.

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