A court in the Pakistani province of Punjab has sentenced a 22-year-old man to death on charges of blasphemy over a message in the WhatsApp messenger, the BBC reports, UNN reports.
Details
The judge said that the 22-year-old student shared "blasphemous" photos and videos with the intention of offending the religious feelings of Muslims.
The case was opened in 2022 by the Cybercrime Department of the Federal Investigation Agency of Pakistan (FIA). It was later referred to a court in Gujranwala.
The 22-year-old student was reportedly sentenced to death for preparing photos and videos that "insult" the Prophet Muhammad and his wives.
A 17-year-old student was sentenced to life in prison in the same case.
Both defendants plead not guilty.
The court said that the younger student who distributed the material was sentenced to life imprisonment because he was a minor. Otherwise, he would also have been sentenced to death.
In Pakistan, blasphemy is punishable by death. Some people are lynched before they even get to court.