Pakistani court sentences Christian to death for posting hateful content against Muslims

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani court has sentenced a Christian man to death for sharing what he called hateful content against Muslims on social media after one of the worst mob attacks on Christians in the eastern province of Punjab last year, his lawyer said on Monday, adding that he would appeal the verdict.

In August 2023, groups of Muslims set fire to dozens of houses and churches Authorities said residents of the town of Jaranwala reported seeing two Christians tearing out pages of the Quran, Islam's holy book, throwing them on the ground and writing insulting remarks on other pages. The two men were later arrested.

No casualties were reported at the time, as terrified Christians fled their homes to safer areas. Although police arrested more than 100 suspects following the attacks, it is unclear whether any of them were convicted.

Ehsan Shan, though not involved in the desecration, was accused of reposting the defaced pages of the Quran on his TikTok account, his lawyer Khurram Shahzad told The Associated Press on Monday. He also said he would appeal the death sentence handed down Saturday by a court in the city of Sahiwal in Punjab province.

Amir Farooq, a police officer who arrested Shan, said the man had shared “the hateful content at a sensitive time when authorities were already struggling to contain the violence.”

Naveed Kashif, a local priest at a church in Sahiwal, said that while he did not condone what Shan had posted, he wondered “why the court ordered such an extreme verdict when those linked to the attacks have not yet been punished.”

Blasphemy charges are common in Pakistan. Under the country’s blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or Muslim religious figures can be sentenced to death. While authorities have not yet carried out a death sentence for blasphemy, the mere accusation can often spark riots and incite mob violence, lynching, and murder.

June 3, Nazir Masih, 72, has died after being attacked by an angry mob in May over blasphemy accusations.