Christian man sentenced to death for blasphemy after Muslim riot in Jaranwala
A Pakistani court has sentenced Ehsaan Shan Masih, a 28-year-old Christian man, to death for allegedly reposting blasphemous content on social media that sparked one of the most severe mob attacks on Christians in Jaranwala, Punjab province, last August.
In August 2023, Jaranwala witnessed the torching of dozens of Christian homes and churches after accusations surfaced against two Christian men who were reportedly seen defacing the Quran. These events escalated into severe communal strife, with over 100 individuals arrested, though none have been convicted to date.
Ehsaan Shan, who was not directly involved in the alleged desecration, had shared the contentious pages on his TikTok, an action that his lawyer Khurram Shahzad claims has wrongfully led to the death sentence handed down by a Sahiwal court on Saturday, The Associated Press reported.
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Shan's lawyer announced plans to appeal the decision.
According to the United Kingdom-based watchdog group Center for Legal Aid Assistance & Settlement, the ruling announced Monday by Special Judge Ziaullah Khan of the Anti-Terrorism Court includes a 22-year prison sentence and a fine of Rs1 million ($3,500).
"This is a religiously motivated and biased judgment," Nasir Saeed, director of CLAAS-UK, said in a statement. "The youth is being made a scapegoat to justify the release of those detained for attacking and burning churches and Christian homes."
"The Christian community in Pakistan is facing severe injustice, living in constant fear for their lives, property, and places of worship," Saeed added. "This verdict symbolizes the virtual death of all Christians in Pakistan today. A young Christian has been scapegoated for the violence and destruction that occurred in Jaranwala."
According to Amir Farooq, the police officer who arrested Shan, the accused shared "the hateful content at a sensitive time," worsening the already volatile situation. The violence saw no casualties but forced many Christians to flee their homes.
A local priest in Sahiwal area, Naveed Kashif, expressed his dismay at the severity of the sentence, especially given the apparent lack of action against those directly involved in the mob attacks.
The immediate response by local authorities prevented a larger crisis, as articulated earlier by Bishop Abraham Daniel of the Sahiwal Baptist Church. He highlighted the pervasive fear within the Christian community and stressed the inadvertent nature of Shan's action, noting his illiteracy and lack of awareness about the gravity of his actions.
The repercussions of the violence in Jaranwala have been profound. Homes and churches were significantly damaged, with government promises of reconstruction and compensation slowly materializing. The Punjab interim Chief Minister announced monetary compensation for affected families, yet the full recovery remains a distant reality for many.
The situation remains tense, with the Christian community calling for justice and better protection under Pakistani law.
Blasphemy laws in Pakistan are stringent, with the death penalty being a legal outcome, although no executions for blasphemy have been reported thus far.
The sentencing comes weeks after the National Assembly of Pakistan passed a resolution to ensure the safety of all citizens, including religious minorities, in the wake of a horrific incident where a local tourist was tortured and killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province's Swat Valley after being accused of desecrating a copy of the Quran.
The victim of the latest lynching incident last month, identified only as a tourist from Punjab province, was beaten by an enraged mob that stormed a police station in Swat Valley where he was detained, dragged him out and set his body on fire.
Weeks earlier, in Sargodha city, a Christian community was attacked by a violent Muslim mob in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, instigated by a local cleric over allegations of blasphemy and leading to significant violence and property damage.
Parallel to the actions of the National Assembly, the Punjab Assembly also passed a similar resolution.
Legal processes over blasphemy in Pakistan often precede mob actions based on rumors or complaints, with many of these cases resulting in no serious consequences for the perpetrators. This has been noted in reports by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, criticizing the frequent impunity in such cases.
Under the blasphemy laws in Pakistan, the death penalty can be given for insulting Islam. It carries no provision to punish a false accuser or a false witness.
In 2011, Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer was assassinated by his bodyguard for speaking out against the blasphemy laws.
That same year, Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five, was sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy, sparking international outrage, leading to her acquittal in 2018 after spending eight years on death row.
