4 Pakistani men sentenced to death for 'online blasphemy' against Quran

A Pakistani court on Monday awarded death penalty to four men for "online blasphemy" against the Prophet Mohammed and the Islamic holy book Quran.

The four were charged with spreading blasphemous content online against Prophet Mohammed and the Islamic holy book.

"They were sentenced to death... on Friday for spreading blasphemous content online against the Prophet Mohammed and the Quran," Rao Abdur Raheem, a lawyer from the legal commission on blasphemy Pakistan, a private group which brought the case to court, told news agency AFP.

"Our case was supported by forensic evidence from the devices used in this heinous act," he added.

The four men were sentenced in Rawalpindi, the garrison city that neighbours the capital Islamabad.

A member of a support group formed by the families, however, said to AFP that they would challenge the conviction.

"The pattern of arrests and prosecutions in this case is consistent with previous ones," said the support group member, who spoke on condition of anonymity told the news agency.

"We urge the government to establish a commission to investigate the rise in these cases before these young individuals spend the best years of their lives behind bars," the member added.

Blasphemy laws in Pakistan are among the strictest in the world, carrying severe punishments, including the death penalty, for offences against Islam.

These laws, primarily enshrined in Sections 295-298 of the Pakistan Penal Code, criminalise acts such as insulting the Prophet Muhammad, desecrating the Quran, or offending religious sentiments.

These laws have often been criticised for being misused to target minorities, settle personal disputes, and incite mob violence. The lack of safeguards against false accusations has led to numerous cases where individuals face imprisonment, violence, or even extrajudicial killings without substantial evidence.

The blasphemy laws have sparked national and international debates about human rights and freedom of expression in Pakistan.

Activists argue that these laws suppress religious minorities, limit free speech, and create a climate of fear, while conservative groups strongly defend them as essential to protecting Islam.

High-profile cases, such as those of Asia Bibi and Salman Taseer, have highlighted the deep divisions in Pakistani society regarding these laws. Successive governments have been reluctant to amend or repeal the legislation due to the risk of backlash from religious hardliners. As a result, blasphemy remains a highly sensitive issue, with calls for legal reforms often met with strong resistance.