There's growing concern for a Christian Pakistani man on death row, accused of insulting Islam's Prophet Muhammad.
Sawan Masih was accused of committing blasphemy by his Muslim friend in 2013 - a crime which has a mandatory death penalty if found guilty in the country.
He denies the claim, and has maintained that his friend made up the lie about him to settle a property dispute.
On 27th March 2014, the Lahore High Court sentenced him to death.
The Christian charity, Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) is dedicated to helping persecuted Christians in Pakistan and filed an appeal against the conviction.
Nasir Saeed, director of CLAAS-UK said: "Sawan Masih's wife and three children are very concerned and living in fear.
"CLAAS is providing free legal aid to Sawan Masih and supporting his family, but your prayers and support are very crucial for his safety and release."
After a mosque broadcast the accusation via loudspeakers, a mob of more than 3,000 Muslims attacked Mr Masih's home in Joseph Colony in the city of Lahore.
They also looted and torched 180 other homes of Christians, 75 shops and at least two churches.
Christians in Pakistan often face persecution.
Earlier this month Christian mother-of-five, Asia Bibi was acquitted after spending 8 years on death row, also accused of insulting Islam's Prophet Muhammad.
However, due to protests by hard-line Islamists calling for her public execution, she has been kept at a secret location in Pakistan. Her family is also in hiding.
Source: premier.org.uk, Eno Aedogun, November, 2018
112 acquitted after Christian area torched
A court in Pakistan's acquitted 112 people accused of destroying a Christian area in the country, according to Reuters.
It's after more than 125 homes were torched in the Joseph Colony in the city of Lahore in 2013, over rumours a believer had blasphemed against the Prophet Muhammad.
The Christian man, Sawan Masih, was found guilty of blasphemy and sentenced to death in 2014. He denies the claim, saying a friend made up a lie about him to settle a property dispute.
Masih's also formally appealed his death sentence for blasphemy.
Reuters reported defence lawyer Ghulam Murtaza Chaudhry told the court there was insufficient evidence to prosecute any of the 112 men accused of torching Joseph Colony.
He added: "The state witnesses could not identify the accused and their statements were also contradictory."
Christians in Pakistan and around the world have welcomed signals from Pakistani politicians that they will review the country's blasphemy laws, to make sure they're not used to unfairly target Christians.
Examples apart from Sawan Masih include Asia Bibi, the Christian mother-of-five on death row for alleged blasphemy, and the former Punjab governor and Muslim Salman Taseer, who was assassinated by his own bodyguard after publicly opposing the country's blasphemy laws.
Source:
premier.org.uk, Aaron James, January 30, 2017
⚑ | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us:
deathpenaltynews@gmail.com.
Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!
"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
