Christian Couple Sentenced To Death For Blasphemy By Pakistani Court

Christian Today reports that in Pakistan's Punjab province last month, a Christian couple were sentenced to death for sending blasphemous text messages after police allegedly forced a confession from the husband. The trial was held in prison due concerns about the couple's safety.  Shafqat Emmanuel who is confined to a wheel chair and his wife Shugufta Emmanuel who works as a cleaner at a local missionary school were charged with sending the messages to the two complainants, one of whom was a local bar association president.  The Emmanuel's lawyer says that the judge acted under pressure from Islamist lawyers who continually quoted Qur'anic verses calling for death to blasphemers. Shugufta told police that the cell phone had been lost for a month, and police did not produce the phone's SIM card.  Their lawyer also said that the couple could not have possibly sent the messages, written in Roman Urdu, since they cannot read or write Urdu properly. An appeal is planned once a detailed verdict is received.