A Rawalpindi court condemned four men to death for publishing online blasphemous content, confirmed on Monday a lawyer for the Legal Commission on Pakistan blasphemy (LCBP).
“They were sentenced to death … on Friday for spreading online blasphemous content,” said Rao Abdur Raheem, a LCBP lawyer. He added that the forensic evidence of the devices used in the alleged crimes supported the case of the Prosecutor’s Office.
Despite the convictions in several cases, Pakistan has never carried out an execution for blasphemy. Appeals often lead to sentences switched to life imprisonment.
A member of a support group for convicted men, speaking anonymously due to security concerns, said families would challenge the verdict.
“We urge the Government to investigate the growing number of cases of online blasphemy before more young people spend the best years of their lives after bars,” said the member.
The rights groups have raised concerns about the growing number of online blasphemy prosecutors. A report by the National Human Rights Commission in October revealed that 767 individuals, mostly young men, are currently in prison waiting for trial for blasphemy.
“In these cases, due process was significantly ignored, with significant procedure violations observed in multiple stages,” said the report. He added that individuals, instead of the application of the law, often make arrests in such cases.
The LCBP, an outstanding group of lawyers and private volunteers, has been at the forefront of the prosecution of online blasphemy cases. Sheraz Ahmad Farooqi, one of its leaders, described the group’s efforts as a “noble cause” in a previous interview.
A special court was established last September to accelerate dozens of pending blasphemy cases, some of which have prolonged for years.
