A Pakistani Christian has been sentenced to death after being found guilty of blasphemy by a court in Lahore. Asif Pervaiz, 37, denies the charges, which are based on accusations of having sent “blasphemous” text messages to a former supervisor at Pervaiz’s work.
Pervaiz denies the allegations and claims that his supervisor, Muhammad Saeed Khokher, had previously pressured him to convert to Islam. Khokher has denied this claim, arguing that other Christian employees at the same factory had never reported any proselytising activity from him.
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws mandate that the death penalty be applied in cases of blasphemy – in Pervaiz’s case, insulting the Prophet Muhammed. Strict penalties are also stipulated for insulting Islam, the Quran, or other holy people. Although Pakistan’s constitution provides for the legal protection of religious minorities, critics claim that these blasphemy laws provide a framework to advance the persecution of and discrimination against non-islamic religions.
The use of the death penalty for blasphemy has drawn criticism internationally in recent years, with the Asia Bibi case leading several western governments to raise concerns directly with Pakistan. Bibi, a Pakistani Catholic and mother, was accused of committing blasphemy in 2009 following an argument with Muslim co-workers who, she maintained, objected to Bibi sharing their water supply. Extremist groups in Pakistan pressured the government to execute Bibi for years, and she was found guilty and sentenced to death in 2010.
After a long campaign against her conviction both internationally and within Pakistan, Bibi was finally exonerated by the Supreme Court in 2018. She has continued to receive death threats, however. The Centre for Social Justice estimates that more than 60 Pakistanis have been murdered due to blasphemy accusations in the last three decades.
There are currently at least 80 people in prison in Pakistan for blasphemy, with significant numbers facing the death penalty or life in prison, according to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Amnesty International last week called for a repeal of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, noting an uptick in accusations across the country in the midst of the coronavirus. “The broad, vague and coercive nature of the blasphemy laws,” said David Griffiths, a spokesperson for the human rights charity, “violate the rights to freedom of religion and belief and of opinion and expression.”