Pakistani Student Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy on Social Media

In Pakistan's Punjab Province, a 22-year-old student has been sentenced to death, while a 17-year-old has received a life sentence, both on charges of blasphemy related to WhatsApp messages, says BBC report.

The judges in the case ruled that the 22-year-old was given the death penalty for creating photos and videos with allegedly disrespectful language about Prophet Muhammad and his wives. The court stated that the student shared the blasphemous content "with the intention of outraging the religious feelings of Muslims." The 17-year-old got a life sentence for sharing similar material. As per the BBC report both individuals denied the charges, and their defense argued they had been "trapped in a false case."

The complaint against the two was filed in 2022 by the cybercrime unit of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Lahore. The complainant claimed to have received blasphemous content via videos and photos from three different mobile phone numbers. The investigating agency confirmed the transmission of "obscene material" after examining the complainant's phone.The father of the 22-year-old student told the BBC that he would be filing an appeal in the Lahore High Court against the verdict on behalf of his son. Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan, with the laws initially codified by India's British rulers and further expanded in the 1980s under Pakistan's military government.