Why a 22-year-old student in Pakistan has been sentenced to death over WhatsApp post

A court in Pakistan has sentenced a 22-year-old student to death for reportedly sharing photos and videos containing derogatory words about Prophet Muhammad and his wives on WhatsApp. A 17-year-old was also sentenced to life imprisonment as part of the same case.

As per a report by BBC, the two have been punished on charges of blasphemy over Whatsapp messages, which a court in Punjab Province said that the blasphemous pictures and videos were shared with the intention to outrage the religious feelings of Muslims. It is to be noted that Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan.

What the investigation agency said
The complaint in this case was filed in 2022 by the cybercrime unit of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Lahore, the report noted. The plaintiff claimed that he received the videos and photos from three different mobile phone numbers. The case was referred to a local court in the city of Gujranwala.

The FIA noted that after examining the plaintiff's phone, it established that “obscene material” had been sent to him. The younger defendant was given a life sentence instead of the death penalty because he is a minor, the court said this week.

Meanwhile, the defence lawyers argued that the two students had been “trapped in a false case”. The father of the death-row convict said he will file an appeal in the Lahore High Court.

In August last year, several churches and homes were reportedly burnt in Jaranwala city after two Christian men were accused of damaging the Holy Quran.