ISLAMABAD: An additional district and sessions judge has sentenced two individuals to death for sharing religiously offensive content on social media.

The two men were found guilty of blasphemy and other related charges under the cybercrime and blasphemy laws.

The case was registered against the accused by the FIA Cyber Crime Wing, Islamabad, in 2021 for allegedly spreading blasphemous content online.

After an investigation and trial, the court handed down the death penalty under Section 295C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Additionally, both convicts were sentenced to life imprisonment under Section 295-B for the desecration of the Holy Quran.

The court also sentenced them to a three-year jail term and a imposed a fine of Rs100,000 under Section 298-A of the PPC, which criminalises derogatory remarks against religious figures.

Under Section 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, the accused were also sentenced to seven years of imprisonment along with an additional fine of Rs100,000.

The prosecution presented evidence, including digital forensic reports and social media activity, to support the charges.

The court deemed the evidence sufficient to convict the accused.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2025