Pakistani woman sentenced to death for spreading blasphemy on WhatsApp

Women from Pakistan / Photo Archive of the World Cup

The court in Pakistan sentenced a woman to death for allegedly spreading blasphemy through messages on WhatsApp and Facebook, writes The Guardian.

Aneka Atek (26) was convicted Wednesday in Rawalpindi. She met her prosecutor, also a Pakistani, in 2019 through a gaming application. The couple communicated via WhatsApp.

The prosecutor said Atek spread blasphemy and commented on WhatsApp "saints" and posted blasphemous content on Facebook. The indictment alleges that she "deliberately desecrated holy holy figures and insulted the religious beliefs of Muslims."

She also received a fine

Atek, an active Muslim woman, denied the allegations, saying in court that her prosecutor had deliberately dragged her into a religious debate so he could gather evidence of "revenge" after she refused to be his friend.

In addition to the death penalty, Attic was fined and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The death penalty must be upheld by the Lahore High Court, and she has the right to appeal. Under Pakistani blasphemy law, the death penalty is provided for anyone found guilty of that crime. Although death sentences are regularly handed down, many convicts often spend the rest of their lives in prison.

According to human rights groups, accusations of blasphemy are often used to intimidate religious minorities or to settle personal disputes.

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