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Biden Commuted Their Death Sentences. Now What?

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As three men challenge their commutations, others brace for imminent prison transfers and the finality of a life sentence with no chance of release. In the days after President Joe Biden commuted his death sentence, 40-year-old Rejon Taylor felt like heā€™d been reborn. After facing execution for virtually his entire adult life for a crime he committed at 18, he was fueled by a new sense of purpose. He was ā€œa man on a mission,ā€ he told me in an email on Christmas Day. ā€œI will not squander this opportunity of mercy, of life.ā€

Pakistani court sentences 4 people to death for blasphemy

A Pakistani court Saturday sentenced four people to death for blasphemy, allegedly because they posted sacrilegious material on social media about Islamic religious figures and the Quran. Their lawyer said appeal preparations are underway.

Under the countryā€™s blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or its religious figures can be sentenced to death. Authorities have yet to carry out such a penalty, although the accusation of blasphemy and opposition to the law can incite mob violence or reprisals.

Judge Tariq Ayub in the city of Rawalpindi declared that blasphemy, disrespect to holy figures, and desecration of the Quran were unforgivable offenses and left no room for leniency.

Along with the death sentences, the judge imposed collective fines of 4.6 million rupees (around $16,500) and handed down jail terms to each of the four should a higher court overturn their death sentences.

The menā€™s lawyer, Manzoor Rahmani, criticized the courtā€™s decision and investigating authoritiesā€™ lack of evidence.

ā€œThe doubts and uncertainties that arise in such cases are ignored by the courts, likely due to the fear of religious backlash and potential mob violence against the judge if the accused is acquitted,ā€ said Rahmani. ā€œWe are preparing our appeals against the decision and will go to the High Court.ā€

Anti-blasphemy measures introduced in Pakistan in the 1980s made it illegal to insult Islam. Since then, people have been accused of insulting the religion, desecrating its texts, or writing offensive remarks on the walls of mosques. Critics of the law say it is used to settle personal disputes.

Source: The Independent, Staff, January 25, 2025

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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."

ā€” Oscar Wilde



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