ASIA/PAKISTAN - Over 1400 cases of blasphemy in a year

Thursday, 15 October 2015 blasphemy religious minorities religious freedom

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Karachi (Agenzia Fides) - In 2014, 1,400 cases of blasphemy were registered in Pakistan: it is a peak, compared with the trend of recent years, which reveals a very worrying situation. This was reported by senior lawyer Syed Mumtaz Shah, speaking at a seminar on "Human Rights, Religious freedom, Social Inclusion & Political Participation of Minority", organized in Karachi in recent days by the "Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research" (PILER). As Fides learns, the seminar was attended by leaders and representatives of civil society, of different religions. According to data released, about 800 cases have been registered against Muslims, "who should take to the streets against the abuse of this law" said those present.
According to lawyer Nisar Shar, spokesman for the association of lawyers in Karachi, "even for lawyers it has become dangerous to do their job and defend a defendant accused of blasphemy", recalling the case of lawyer Rashid Rehman, who was killed because he had taken the defense of a case.
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), an NGO widespread in Pakistan, in 2014 the Pakistani courts sentenced three people to death, six to life imprisonment, and three people to two years' imprisonment for blasphemy. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 15/10/2015)