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Biden Fails a Death Penalty Abolitionist’s Most Important Test

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The mystery of Joe Biden’s views about capital punishment has finally been solved. His decision to grant clemency to 37 of the 40 people on federal death row shows the depth of his opposition to the death penalty. And his decision to leave three of America’s most notorious killers to be executed by a future administration shows the limits of his abolitionist commitment. The three men excluded from Biden’s mass clemency—Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers—would no doubt pose a severe test of anyone’s resolve to end the death penalty. Biden failed that test.
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Pakistan | Christian brothers acquitted of blasphemy; three accusers charged

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Pakistan is No. 7 on list of places most difficult to be a Christian

LAHORE, Pakistan — Two Christian brothers have been acquitted of blasphemy, and the three Christians who framed the brothers have been charged.

On March 1, Umar Saleem and Umair Saleem were acquitted following a police investigation showing the two had been framed, states the news services Christian Daily International and Morning Star News.

The brothers had been charged with committing “acts intended to outrage religious feelings,” defiling the Quran and making derogatory comments about Muhammad. 

The last charge carries a death penalty. In addition, the brothers were charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act for “stir(ring) up sectarian hatred.”

Although the brothers were acquitted and freed, they cannot return to Jaranwala for safety reasons, said Tahir Bashir, their attorney.

After the blasphemy allegations were made against the brothers, Muslim rioters estimated to have numbered into the thousands attacked Jaranwala on Aug. 16, 2023. 

Christian churches, homes and businesses were targeted. Hundreds of Christians fled.

The three Christians who made the accusations against the Saleems have now been charged under the blasphemy laws, the news services report.

Pakistan is No. 7 on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of places most difficult to be a Christian.

Source: thealabamabaptist.org, Leigh Pritchett, March 27, 2024

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde



Location: Pakistan
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