Pakistan blasphemy case sparks international outrage

In Pakistan, a controversial verdict was issued in which a 36-year-old Christian man was sentenced to death for blasphemy. As reported by Reuters, the man intends to appeal the decision of the anti-terrorism court.

The case pertains to events in 2023, when riots broke out in the city of Jaranwala, located in eastern Pakistan. The accusation of desecrating the Quran sparked a wave of violence, resulting in a mob setting fire to hundreds of homes and churches. Thousands of people had to leave their homes, and the military was engaged to bring the situation under control.

In Pakistan, accusations of blasphemy often lead to riots and lynching attempts. An example is a recent incident in Karachi, where a crowd of 100 to 200 people beat a 47-year-old owner of an auto repair shop to death, a member of a religious minority considered heretical by Muslims.

Laws protecting places of worship from desecration were introduced into the Pakistani penal code during British colonial times, in the 1920s. They aimed to protect all religions in what was then India. After Pakistan gained independence in 1947, these laws were adopted without changes until the 1980s. During the rule of General Muhammad Zia ul-Haq, as part of the Islamization of the law, severe penalties for blasphemy, including the death penalty, were introduced.