In Pakistan, Human Rights Lawyer Murdered For Defending Client Accused of Blasphemy

In Pakistan's southern city of Multan yesterday, gunmen posing as clients shot and killed human rights lawyer Rashid Rehman for representing a defendant accused of blasphemy.  Reuters reports that Rehman was representing Junaid Hafeez, a lecturer in English, who has been in jail after being accused by student groups of making blasphemous remarks against the Prophet Mohammed. During court proceedings last month, three people threatened Rehman with death.  Pamphlets distributed in Multan this morning said that the lawyer had met his "rightful end" for attempting to "save someone who disrespected the Prophet Mohammed". The pamphlet added: "We warn all lawyers to be afraid of god and think twice before engaging in such acts." This is apparently the first time that a lawyer has been killed in Pakistan for taking on a blasphemy case, though defendants have often been killed before trial and attacks have previously been carried out on judges and supportive politicians.

Report on Human Rights In Pakistan Issued

Last week, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (an independent non-governmental organization) issued its 2013 annual report on the state of human rights in the country (full text). In a lengthy chapter on "Freedom of thought, conscience and religion", the Commission said in part:

Pakistan’s record in protecting members of its religious and sectarian minorities from faith-based violence and discrimination has been far from impressive in recent years. In fact, the year under review saw continuation of the recent trend of violence and impunity that seemed to reinforce each other. The growing problems for the minorities came from extremist militant groups seeking to justify violence and brutalities in the name of religion. Secondly, the challenges came from the local factors; and finally, from the government’s failure to protect members of minority religions and sects from faith-based violence or to confront hate speech, intimidation or intolerance. This year also nothing was done to weed out discrimination against non-Muslim citizens written into law or to introduce safeguards widely acknowledged to be needed in order to prevent abuse of the blasphemy law

The Commission made 5 recommendations in this area:

1. Unless serious steps are taken to stop sustained hate campaigns against members of religious and sectarian minority groups and unless those fanning hate speech are brought to justice, the bloodletting in the name of religious faith cannot be stopped.....

2. The blasphemy law is in urgent need of reform to prevent its abuse by extremists and opportunists.... The systematic and organised intimidation of judges in cases of blasphemy or desecration of scripture undermines administration of justice.... 

3. There is considerable evidence that those involved in faith-based violence have penetrated law enforcement agencies..... [T]hese elements should be urgently identified and weeded out....

4. Codification of personal law for Hindus and Sikhs should be a priority.....

5. Nothing has caused as great frustration and desperation among Pakistan’s minority religious faiths as incidents of forced conversion and lack of action against the perpetrators. The state should introduce a mechanism to ensure that the girls in question and their families get justice without having to suffer harassment and threats from rowdy crowds in courts and powerful politicians patronising this repulsive trampling of rights.

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.

Pakistani Court Sentences Christian Man To Death For Blasphemy

Reuters reported yesterday that a Pakistani court has convicted Sawan Masih of blasphemy and sentenced him to a fine and to death by hanging. Masih, a Christian, was charged with blasphemy last year after he allegedly made remarks against the Prophet Mohammed when he got into an argument with two men while drinking.  The incident led to Muslims burning down nearly 100 homes of Christians in Lahore. (See prior posting.) At least 16 people are on death row in Pakistan for blasphemy, but none have in fact been executed. 20 others are serving life sentences.

British Pakistani Sentenced To Death For Blasphemy In Pakistani Court; Sentence Unlikely To Be Carried Out

 In Pakistan on Thursday, a court in Rawalpindi sentenced a 70-year old British man, Muhammad Asghar, to death for blasphemy. According to DAWN, the court also imposed a fine of $9500 (US). Asghar was arrested in 2010 after he wrote letters to various people, including the police, claiming that he is a prophet.  The prosecutor said that Asghar made the same claim inside the courtroom.  According to BBC News, Asghar is a British Pakistani from Edinburgh who came back to Pakistan to look after his family's property. The complaint against him under Sec. 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code was filed by a tenant who had been served with an eviction notice by Asghar.  Before returning to Pakistan, Asghar had been diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic, but a medical panel appointed by the court in Pakistan rejected the claim of mental illness.

The death sentence is unlikely to be carried out since Pakistan has had a de facto moratorium on the death penalty since 2008. Asghar's lawyer says his conviction will be appealed, and the British foreign office plans to raise its concerns with the Pakistani government. [Thanks to Scott Mange for the lead.]

Pakistani Court Imposes Death Sentence For Blasphemy On 2 Who "Saw God"

In Multan, Pakistan on Saturday, a trial court judge sentenced two men to death on blasphemy charges. According to Sunday's Express Tribune, 34-year old Riaz Ahmed and 38-year old Ijaz Ahmed in 2011 claimed they had seen God and invited others to join them in their union with God through Chaman Sarkar. The judge also fined each of the defendants the equivalent of $946 (US).

First Woman On Pakistan's Shariat Court Sworn In

Pakistan's Daily Times reports that the first female judge to serve on Pakistan's Federal Shariat Court was sworn in yesterday. The new Muslim Judge is 56-year old Ashraf Jehan who was previously serving as an additional judge at the Sindh high court. Under Chapter 3A of Pakistan's Constitution, the Federal Shariat Court has jurisdiction to decide whether any federal or provincial law is inconsistent with Sharia, and thus invalid.  The court may also review criminal court decisions involving Hudood Ordinances. Shariat Court judges are appointed by the President of Pakistan.

Pakistan Supreme Court Issues Orders In Hajj Corruption Case

In Suo Moto Case No. 24 of 2010, (Pak. Sup. Ct., Dec. 6, 2013), a 3-judge bench of the Pakistan Supreme Court handed down a decision in the long-running case involving massive corruption in the arrangements for Pakistani Hajj pilgrims for the year 2010. the court held:

(i) Federal Investigation Agency is directed to probe into the matter in depth and determine as to whether the extra amount charged by the authorities has been reimbursed to the Hujjaj or not?

(ii) Strict measures should be adopted in future in order to avoid such like incidents of corruption in Hajj arrangements, whereby not only the pilgrims had been looted but also it had brought a bad name to the country.

(iii) The Government should issue the guidelines regarding the Hajj arrangements including hiring of buildings for providing accommodation to Hujjaj as well as transportation and other facilities during Hajj.

(iv) The FIA is directed to take strict action against all those persons including politicians, officers and others in echelons of power, who interfered with and hampered the investigation....

(v) The amount of Rs.5000/- charged by the Hajj Tour Operators from each Haji in excess of the actual amount be refunded to them.

Reporting on the decision, the Express Tribune explained:

Former Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Hamid Saeed Kazmi, former director-general Hajj affairs Rao Shakeel and former additional secretary to ministry of religious affairs Raja Aftabul Islam were accused of being involved in widespread corruption.  They were accused of renting residential buildings for Pakistani pilgrims in Saudi Arabia at exorbitant rates and inflicting a loss of a billion rupees to the national exchequer.

(See prior related posting.)