As per a BBC report, a court in Gujranwala has handed down a death sentence to a 22-year-old student for blasphemy committed through WhatsApp messages.
The court determined that the student shared blasphemous content, including pictures and videos, with the intention of provoking religious sentiments among Muslims. In connection with the same case, a 17-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Throughout the proceedings, both individuals maintained their innocence. The case originated from a complaint filed in 2022 by the cybercrime unit of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Lahore.
Subsequently, the case was transferred to a local court in Gujranwala for further investigation and trial.
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In the recent verdict, the judges specified that the 22-year-old was condemned to death for allegedly producing blasphemous photos and videos.
The younger defendant received a life sentence for purportedly sharing the objectionable material. The plaintiff claimed to have received the content from three different mobile phone numbers.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) reported conducting an examination of the plaintiff’s phone, confirming the presence of “obscene material” that had been sent to him.
Defense lawyers argued that the two students were ensnared in a fabricated case. The father of the death-row convict, whose identity remains undisclosed, informed the BBC of plans to file an appeal in the Lahore High Court.
The court mentioned that the minor defendant received a life sentence instead of the death penalty due to his age.
