A Christian has been sentenced to life in prison in Pakistan after being accused of posting a remark against Islam on Facebook.
Fanson Shahid, 56, was arrested in his home, beaten and tortured until he confessed to posting a derogatory remark about the prophet of Islam in a comment on social media. However, the account that he has been accused of posting was on a phone that was stolen from him in 2019.
The Muslim judge, Justice Zafar Yab Chadhar of the Additional Sessions Court Gujranwala District, Punjab Province, didn’t care about the evidence. He handed down the sentence on Jan. 24.
“The verdict has shattered our hopes for justice,” his sister, Sonia Shahid, told Christian Daily International – Morning Star News.
Investigators found Fanson Shahid’s Facebook account was already logged in, on the new phone they recovered in 2022 and presented that as evidence that he had made the comment. His wife, Safia Shahid, said at that time, “We believe that the lost phone was misused by someone to post the blasphemous comment, because my husband did not use a passcode for its security, and his Facebook account was also logged in.”
Fanson Shahid was convicted under Section 295-C of Pakistan’s blasphemy statutes, which calls for a mandatory death sentence for derogatory comments about Muhammad. This is the same law that was used to sentence Shagufta, a mother of four, to death. BTJ has been working with Shagufta to tell her story. Her book, UNDER THREAT OF DEATH, will be released in June 2024.
Pakistan has been pushing for the international community to adopt “anti-hate speech laws” which are blasphemy laws in disguise. In 2023, when Sweden allowed for the burning of the Quran, Pakistan led an international outcry for the immediate adoption of “anti-hate speech laws.” The UN and Vatican joined in, but said very little against Pakistan’s deadly blasphemy laws.
Sweden and Swedish citizens faced violent reactions to their free speech laws.
This situation underscores the tension between freedom of expression and the enforcement of blasphemy laws that can lead to severe consequences for those accused.
This is just heartbreaking. How can someone be sentenced to life for a Facebook post, especially with such flimsy evidence? My heart goes out to Fanson Shahid and his family. Hope justice prevails eventually.
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws (notably sections 295–298 of the penal code) are frequently criticized by international human rights organizations for being vague, easily misused, and disproportionately affecting minorities.