A Christian man in Pakistan has been sentenced to death for apparently receiving “blasphemous” cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed on his phone. Noman Masih, who is reportedly between the age of 19 and 22, was condemned to death by the Court of Bahawalpur, per the Daily Mail.
The young man was arrested in 2019 for violating 295-c of the Penal Code, which seeks to punish contempt demonstrated toward the Prophet Mohammed. The ruling came down on May 30. However, Masih was reportedly sent the so-called “blasphemous” images by a Muslim man, but there has been no action taken against him, according to Agenzia Fides, the Vatican’s news agency.
Masih was arrested alongside his friend, Sunny Mushtaq. Though there are currently no details about the punishment for Mushtaq, the report noted that it will be the same as Masih. The photos in question were apparently discovered on WhatsApp, an online message mobile application.
Though the trial against the two men concluded in January, it reportedly took five months for the verdict to be handed down by the district judge of the Bahawalpur Magistrate Court. However, Masih’s family has denied the accusation, per Agenzia Fides.
Masih’s attorney, Lazar Allah Rakha, said that he was “extremely disappointed by the conviction, because there was absolutely no case.”
“There was no proof against Noman, and none of the witnesses produced by police could corroborate the blasphemy allegation against him.”
“Despite so many contradictions in the case, I’m at a loss to understand why Bahawalpur Additional Sessions Judge Muhammed Hafeez Ur Rehman sentenced Noman instead of acquitting him. This is murder of justice.”
Aneeqa Maria Anthony, an attorney from the NGO “The Voice,” criticized the decision, saying: “The magistrate ignored all the procedures and dismissed all the evidence in favour of the accused.”
Anthony said that the judge “only wanted to complete his ‘sacred duty’ to punish an alleged blasphemer. We expect the same fate for Sunny Mushtaq.”
“They were arrested for a teenage game.”
