Four sentenced to death in Lahore in 2022 blasphemy case
LAHORE: A sessions court on Saturday sentenced four men to death in a 2022 blasphemy case registered by the then cybercrime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Additional District and Sessions Judge Nusrat Ali Siddiqui Malik convicted the four men, holding that the prosecution had proved the charges beyond reasonable doubt. Each convict was sentenced to death and fined Rs500,000 under…
The Dawn newspaper reports that a sessions court in Lahore sentenced four men to death in a 2022 blasphemy case on Saturday. The court found that the prosecution had proven the charges beyond reasonable doubt, and each convict received a death sentence, a fine of Rs500,000, and life imprisonment under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
They were also given 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and a Rs100,000 fine under Section 295-A, as well as three years and a Rs100,000 fine under Section 298-A, and seven years’ rigorous imprisonment and a Rs100,000 fine under Section 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016. The court noted that forensic evidence, despite procedural defects, was sufficient to convict the accused.
However, all four were acquitted of conspiracy and common intention charges under Sections 120-B and 34 PPC, as the evidence indicated that each had acted separately. The death sentences are subject to confirmation by the Lahore High Court, to which a reference will be sent.
Brief written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
