KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Dozens of Pakistani civil society members gathered in the southern port city of Karachi on Tuesday to protest the death sentence imposed on a Christian man on blasphemy charges, nearly a year after one of the worst mob attacks on Christians in the country.
Several Christians also joined the demonstration, a day after a court in Sahiwal, Punjab province, announced the death penalty for Ehsan Shan after he was found guilty of sharing “hateful content” against Muslims on social media.
Shan’s lawyer Khurram Shahzad said on Monday he will appeal the verdict.
He was arrested in August 2023 after groups of Muslim men set fire to dozens of homes and churches in the Punjab town of Jaranwala after some residents claimed they saw two Christian men desecrating pages of Islam’s holy book, the Quran. The two men were later arrested.
Although Shan was not involved in the blasphemy, he was accused of reposting the desecrated pages of the Quran on his TikTok account.
At Tuesday’s rally in Karachi, Christian leader Luke Victor called for Shah’s release.
He also demanded action against those involved in burning churches and houses of Christians in Jaranwala.
Blasphemy charges are common in Pakistan. Under the country’s blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or Islamic religious figures can be sentenced to death. While authorities have yet to impose the death penalty for blasphemy, a simple accusation can often spark riots and incite violence, lynchings and killings.
