Mob storms Pakistani police station, lynches man accused of blasphemy
Lahore, Pakistan Reuters A mob in eastern Pakistan stormed a police station on Saturday and lynched a man under custody and accused of blasphemy, police said, in the latest incident of religion-linked violence in the Islamic republic. The country has seen numerous cases of vigilante action by mobs against people accused of blasphemy, one of […]
Student accused of blasphemy is burnt to death in Nigeria
Abuja, Nigeria AP A student was beaten and burnt to death Thursday by fellow students in north-western Nigeria after she was accused of making a blasphemous social media post, witnesses and police said. Deborah Samuel was killed in the Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto state after being accused of “making a social media […]
Man accused of blasphemy stoned to death by mob in Pakistan
Multan, PakistanAP An enraged mob stoned to death a middle-aged man for allegedly desecrating the Quran in a remote village in eastern Pakistan, police said Sunday. The custodian of a local mosque said he saw the man burning the Muslim holy book inside the mosque Saturday evening and told others before informing police, according to […]
Essay: The killing of Pastor William Siraj reminds us that Pakistan must do much more to protect its religious minorities
ELLIS HEASLEY, of UK-based religious freedom advocacy CSW, says the recent killing of a pastor in Pakistan was a “painful reminder” of the religiously motivated extremist violence which has plagued Peshawar…
“Ashamed”: Pakistan grapples with fallout from mob killing
Islamabad, Pakistan Reuters A shocking and deadly mob attack on a Sri Lankan factory manager accused of blasphemy in eastern Pakistan last week prompted days of soul searching as the man’s remains were flown to his home country. The violence, which was condemned by rights watchdogs including Amnesty International, also drew intense responses from politicians, […]
Pakistan police: Mob kills Sri Lankan over alleged blasphemy
Lahore, Pakistan AP A Muslim mob descended on a sports equipment factory in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province on Friday, killing a Sri Lankan man and burning his body publicly over allegations of blasphemy, police said. Armagan Gondal, a police chief in the district of Sialkot, where the killing occurred, said factory workers had accused the […]
UN experts to Pakistan: Release man charged with blasphemy
Islamabad, PakistanAP United Nations human rights experts urged Pakistan on Thursday to release a Christian man who was detained two years ago for insulting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad and is believed to be mentally ill. Stephen Masih, who was arrested in March, 2019, has yet to face trial, the experts said. He is a Pakistani jailed […]
Pakistan acquits Christian couple facing death for blasphemy
Islamabad, PakistanAP A Pakistani appeals court on Thursday acquitted a Christian couple sentenced to death on blasphemy charges for allegedly insulting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, their defence lawyer said. The appeal of their 2014 death penalty by Shagufta Kausar and her husband Shafqat Emmanuel from the country’s eastern Punjab province had not been heard until now […]
Pakistani court grants bail to Christian in blasphemy case
Lahore, PakistanAP A Pakistani court on Monday granted bail to a Christian man convicted in 2018 while still a teenager of insulting Islam by posting a picture of Islam’s holiest site on social media, a defence lawyer said. The court order in the eastern city of Lahore came more than four years after Nabeel Masih […]
US group appeals for Pakistani woman jailed on blasphemy
Islamabad, PakistanAP The US religious watchdog appealed on Friday for the rights of a Pakistani woman from the country’s minority Ahmadis who has been jailed on blasphemy charges, declaring her a prisoner of conscience and urging Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government to immediately set her free. The statement by the US Commission on International Religious […]