A court in northwestern Pakistan has sentenced four men to death for allegedly posting sacrilegious materials about the Koran and Islamic figures.
On January 25, Tariq Ayub, a judge in Rawalpindi, a city adjacent to the capital, Islamabad, sentenced the four to death by hanging. They were also fined more than $16,000.
Ayub said the contempt of figures sacred to Muslims and insulting the Koran were unforgivable offenses that don’t deserve clemency.
The men were identified as Rana Usman, Ashfaque Ali, Salman Sajjad, and Wajid Ali.
Under Pakistan’s draconian blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam can be sentenced to death.
"The doubts and uncertainties that arise in such cases are ignored by the courts," said Manzoor Rahmani, a lawyer for the sentenced men. "[This is likely] due to the fear of religious backlash and potential mob violence against the judge if the accused is acquitted."
Rahmani said he would appeal against the ruling in the provincial High Court in the eastern province of Punjab.
According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), "blasphemy accusations, whether true or false, often lead to lengthy prison sentences on death row and solitary confinement."
Critics say the laws are often abused to settle scores or used to target members of Pakistan's religious minorities.
Since 1987, more than 2,000 people have been accused of blasphemy laws. Nearly 100 people have been lynched to death while dozens remain on death row, according to USCIRF.
The defendants were first accused under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act in 2022. Rights campaigners have criticized the law for curtailing the freedom of expression in the country.
This week, human rights watchdogs criticized amendments to the law that were adopted by the National Assembly or lower house of the Pakistani parliament on January 23. The amendments grant the government sweeping powers to control social media.