the student had shared blasphemous photos and videos
A 22-year-old Pakistani student is facing the death penalty over allegations that they sent blasphemous WhatsApp messages.
In Pakistan, blasphemy is an offence that is punishable by death. In the past, some people accused of such crimes have been lynched even before their cases reached trial.
A court in Punjab Province heard that the student had shared blasphemous photos and videos intending to harm Muslim sentiments.
The case also involves a 17-year-old Pakistani student, who was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The complaint was filed in 2022 by the cybercrime unit of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Lahore.
The case was referred to a local court in the city of Gujranwala.
In the judge’s ruling, it was said that the 22-year-old student was given capital punishment due to preparing material that contained derogatory language.
The 17-year-old defendant was handed a life sentence for apparently sharing the messages.
The plaintiff said that he had received the videos and photos from three different mobile phone numbers.
Following this, the FIA confirmed 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”.
The father of the Pakistani student who faces the death sentence told the BBC that he was filing an appeal in Lahore High Court.
Meanwhile, the 17-year-old’s life sentence was imposed due to the younger defendant’s age.
Pakistan’s blasphemy law states:
“Derogatory remarks, etc., in respect of the Holy Prophet either spoken or written, or by visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo or insinuation, directly or indirectly shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.”
In August 2023, several churches and homes were burnt in the eastern city of Jaranwala after two Christian men were accused of damaging the Quran.
The blasphemy law in Pakistan is rooted in 19th Century colonial legislation to protect places of worship.
This is not the first death sentence to be handed down in Pakistan in recent years.
In 2023, Zahir Jaffer, the killer of Noor Mukadam, faced a double death sentence for her rape and murder.
Jaffer was originally sentenced to death for her murder and was given 25 years imprisonment for the sexual assault.
However, the Islamabad High Court upheld the sentence and turned the rape punishment into another death penalty.
Meanwhile, the identities of either Pakistani student embroiled in the WhatsApp case have not been disclosed.
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