LAHORE, Pakistan — A Christian mother convicted of violating Pakistan’s blasphemy laws has been given a death sentence.
The decision against Shagufta Kiran was handed down Sept. 18, report media sources Christian Daily International and Morning Star News. Kiran had been charged under Section 295-C, which concerns insulting Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. Conviction under that statute has a mandatory death penalty.
Kiran was also fined $1,077 (300,000 rupees) at the close of her trial, which spanned three years.
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Her attorney plans to appeal the conviction.
Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency arrested her July 29, 2021, in Islamabad over an allegation of having shared on WhatsApp material deemed “blasphemous,” the news outlets state. The posting allegedly occurred September 2020.
Authorities initially detained her husband and two of her four children but later released them.
Her attorney said Kiran, a former nurse, had joined several app groups to tell people about Jesus Christ. The Muslim who filed the complaint against her is an administrator of one of the sites, according to information from the attorney and news outlets.
Pakistan is No. 7 on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of places most difficult to be a Christian.
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