According to a report, a Pakistan court has handed down a death sentence to a 22-year-old student for sharing images and videos on WhatsApp depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
Additionally, a 17-year-old has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the same offence, as blasphemy carries the death penalty in the Muslim country, as reported by the BBC.
In a case initiated by Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) cybercrime unit in 2022, a local court in the city of Gujranwala, north of Lahore, has recently issued a death sentence.
According to the outlet, the 22-year-old, who remains unidentified, received a death sentence after being convicted of creating photos and videos containing derogatory remarks about Muhammad and his wives.
Officials stated that the teenager, whose identity remains undisclosed, was convicted of sharing the content but was spared the death penalty due to his age.
Both defendants denied the allegations, and their attorneys assert that the pair has been “trapped in a false case”.
The FIA reported that investigators examined their phones and found the “obscene material”.
The father of the 22-year-old informed the BBC that he intends to file an appeal in the Lahore High Court.
Blasphemy laws were initially codified during British rule in Pakistan but were later expanded under Pakistan’s military government.
In 1980, Pakistan implemented laws making it illegal to make derogatory comments against Islamic figures, carrying a penalty of up to three years in jail.
After amendments in 1982, desecration of the Quran in Pakistan could result in a life sentence and in 1986, a separate clause was added, making blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad punishable by “death, or imprisonment for life”, in that order.
ALSO READ: Kenyan hospital transforms healthcare with AI-Enhanced PET scan