Pakistan: social media posts on food fraud, jailed for blasphemy
Zaki Masih is a Christian and was arrested by the police in Sargodha. A dispute over land was the real reason for the complaint; even the imam came to his defence. Minority rights activists in Pakistan are increasingly concerned about the escalation in the country's use of accusations cloaked with religious motives.
Sargodha (AsiaNews) - Police in Sargodha have arrested a Christian man on blasphemy charges for sharing a post on Facebook. This new arrest "for blasphemy" - adding to the dozens of arrests of members of the Ahmadi Muslim religious community - has raised the level of concern among minority rights activists in the country, who are calling on the authorities to address the misuse of blasphemy laws, which have increasingly become tools for settling personal issues and vendettas.
Zaki Masih, 35 years old and a Christian, was arrested by police in Sargodha - a town halfway between Islamabad and Lahore - on 8 July. The blasphemy charges against him were brought by Muhammad Awais, a Muslim neighbour for 'deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious sentiments of any class by insulting their religion or religious beliefs'.
Possible prosecution for this offence carries a penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine. The police intervened despite the fact that the imam of the village mosque and other Muslims in the neighbourhood also sided with Zaki, who confirmed that the man's social post did not disrespect any religion.
Moreover, the Facebook post was not even an 'original' message from Masih, but a sharing of a post by another person - incidentally of Muslim faith - criticising those who commit food fraud. The family believes the case filed is a way of settling a long-standing land dispute - won by Zaki - with people who still hold grudges, despite efforts to reconcile through village elders.
Starting with this case, Joseph Jansen, a minority rights activist, expressed deep concern about the increasing number of blasphemy complaints and arrests targeting mainly members of minority religions and are urging the authorities to address the misuse of blasphemy laws.
Jansen urged people to be careful when using social media platforms and to take measures to protect themselves from potential 'evidence' against them for blasphemy. Ashik Naz, a human rights activist, said that 'between 300 and 400 people, including young children, have been forced to flee their homes because of false accusations of blasphemy made against a family member'.
.png)
23/01/2023 11:28
