A Christian mother in Pakistan has been sentenced to death for allegedly sharing blasphemous content on a WhatsApp group.
The accusation against Shagufta Kiran was made in September 2020 by a Muslim man who is also part of the WhatsApp group. Ten months later, a case was registered against Shagufta and she, along with her husband and two of her four children (then aged ten and 12), was arrested. After a brief period of detention, her husband and children were released, but Shagufta remained in custody facing trial.
Four years after the initial accusation, Shagufta was found guilty under the blasphemy law and handed the death sentence and fined 300,000 Pakistani rupees (£830) – approximately the average monthly salary in Pakistan. She was also found guilty under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, which carries a prison sentence of seven years along with a fine of 100,000 rupees (£280).
Solitary confinement
According to Shagufta’s lawyer, the family plans to appeal against the verdict in the High Court. She is in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where she is in solitary confinement. There is fear that she could also faces serious threats to her life, as there have been incidents previously where victims charged under the blasphemy law were killed by mobs or vigilantes. Shagufta’s family are also at risk and are currently in hiding.
In Pakistan, accusations against religious minorities under the blasphemy law are nothing new, with roughly a quarter levelled at Christians, even though they comprise less than two per cent of the population. It’s just one way that believers face pressure and persecution in Pakistan, putting the country at number seven on the World Watch List.
In 2010, there was international outcry when Asia Bibi, a Christian, was the first women sentenced to death under the law. After eight years on death row, the ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court, leading to violent protests and forcing Asia Bibi to relocate abroad.
Please join us in praying that Shagufta, too, will find safety and freedom – and soon.
please pray
- For Shagufta and her family’s safety, comfort and peace
- That her lawyers will successfully challenge the sentence and secure her imminent release
- That Pakistan’s blasphemy law will stop being used to target religious minorities.
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