Christian couple sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan
Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar, a Christian couple from Gjra have received a death sentence for text messages deemed blasphemous.
The lawyer of the couple is hopeful regarding the verdict in April.
According to him, there is a real chance for an acquittal, as “there is no clear evidence against the two of them. The case is clearly an artifact”, he explained to Agenzia Fides.
The text messages were written in English and the defendants are illiterate and cannot speak English, nor in Urdu.
“The trial before the Session Court (First Instance) was conditioned by Islamist pressure”, the lawyer noted.
There are currently 25 Christians in prison for blasphemy in Pakistan, 6 of whom sentenced to death. All victims who, according to the lawyer, “are safer inside a prison rather than outside, where they would be exposed to the revenge of Islamic radicals who would like to execute those who are branded as blasphemers even before the trial that ascertains the responsibility”, explained the lawyer to Agenzia Fides.
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