Christian sentenced to death for blasphemy in Lahore, Pakistan
A court has convicted a Pakistani Christian man and sentenced him to death in a blasphemy case that sparked a riot last year in the eastern city of Lahore, according to his lawyer.
Naeem Shakir, the lawyer for Sawan Masih, said a judge announced the verdict on Thursday during a hearing at the jail where the trial was held out of fears that Masih might be attacked on his way to court. Shakir said he would appeal.
Although Pakistan has never executed anybody under the law, crowds angered over blasphemy accusations have been known to take the law into their own hands and kill those they suspect of violating it.
Such vigilantism has created a climate of fear, forcing frightened judges into holding court sessions inside jails and keeping witnesses from coming to the defence of those on trial.
Failure to [try attackers] will … send the message that anyone can commit … abuses
Many human rights activists say the blasphemy law, which allows for punishment of life in prison or death, is misused as a way to target people for personal gain or revenge.
The incident that led to Thursday's conviction began on March 7 last year when a young Muslim man accused Masih of maligning the Prophet Mohammed. Police arrested Masih, but the next day a mob ransacked the neighbourhood where he and other Christians live, setting fire to homes and destroying household possessions.
Fearing for their safety, hundreds of Christian families fled the area overnight ahead of the riots. Many in the neighbourhood have since moved back, and their homes have been rebuilt.
Police arrested 83 suspects following the rampage, including the man who brought the complaint against Masih, said a Lahore police official, Rana Taseer Riaz. But so far none of the suspects had been convicted and all were released on bail, he added.
Amnesty International condemned Masih's conviction and sentencing. The organisation also called on Pakistan to bring to trial the people responsible for attacking the Christian homes.
"Failure to do so will effectively send the message that anyone can commit outrageous abuses and excuse them as defence of religious sentiments," said David Griffiths of Amnesty International.
