International
PAKISTAN: 30-yr-old man to die for facebook blasphemy
A blasphemy crackdown in Pakistan has witnessed the slamming of 30-year-old Taimoor Raza with the first-ever death sentence for insulting Prophet Muhammad on social media.
According to the public prosecutor, Shafiq Qureshi, Taimoor committed the crime on Facebook and his conviction is coming after a high-profile crackdown against blasphemy on social media by the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Read also: Saudi Arabia bans Qatari pilgrims from entering Mecca as diplomatic row deepens
The prosecutor, who was speaking in Bahawalpur, south of provincial capital Lahore, said Taimoor was convicted for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad, his wives and companions.
“An anti-terrorism court of Bahawalpur has awarded him the death sentence,” Qureshi told Reuters news agency, adding: “It is the first-ever death sentence in a case that involves social media.”
Blasphemy is a highly sensitive topic in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where insulting the Prophet Muhammad is a capital crime for which dozens are sitting on death row. Even mere accusations are enough to spark mass uproar and mob justice.
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