A Pakistani Christian has been sentenced to death after he was found guilty of sending “blasphemous” text messages.
Asif Pervaiz, 37, has been in custody since 2013 after he was accused of sending the texts to a supervisor in the hosiery factory where he worked. He was reportedly sentenced on Tuesday by a court in Lahore but, according to his lawyer, intends to appeal the decision.
Pervaiz claimed at his trial that the supervisor had made the claim of blasphemy after he had refused to convert to Islam.
William Stark, regional manager for International Christian Concern – a US-based organisation which advocates on behalf of persecuted Christians, said the organisation was “saddened” by the court’s decision
“We are especially concerned that the death sentence was made with reportedly no evidence being presented to support the blasphemy allegation against Asif,” he said in a statement.
“The abuse of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws must be curbed and false allegations must be rooted out and punished. Too often these laws have been a tool in the hands of extremists seeking to stir up religiously motivated violence against minority communities. Without real reform, religious minorities, including Christians, will face more false blasphemy accusations and the extreme violence that often accompanies these accusations.”
According to ICC there are currently 25 Christians imprisoned on blasphemy charges in Pakistan.
