PAKISTAN: MAN GETS DEATH SENTENCE OVER BLASPHEMOUS CONTENT ON WHATSAPP

March 27, 2023:

A Muslim man in Pakistan has been awarded a death sentence over blasphemous content on a WhatsApp group. He was convicted under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act and Anti-Terrorist Act by the court in Peshawar on March 24, 2023.
The convict, identified as Syed Muhammad Zeeshan, has the right to appeal against the court's conviction order on the highly-sensitive issue of blasphemy in Pakistan.
"Accused Syed Muhammad Zeeshan, son of Syed Zakaullah in custody has been convicted and sentenced after being found guilty", the court order said, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.
Zeeshan, who is a resident of the northwest city of Mardan, was also fined 1.2 million rupees ($4,300) and handed a total of 23 years imprisonment. His counsel told AFP that a case was initiated after Muhammad Saeed, a resident of Talagang in Punjab province, filed an application with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) two years ago accusing Zeeshan of posting blasphemous content on a WhatsApp group.
"FIA had confiscated Zeeshan's cell phone and its forensic examination proved him guilty", he said.
According to the National Commission of Justice and Peace, a human rights and legal aid group in Pakistan, 774 Muslims and 760 members of various minority religious groups have been accused of blasphemy in the last 20 years.