Christian father facing death penalty after false blasphemy charge

Ishtiaq Saleem, a Christian sanitation worker and father from Islamabad, Pakistan, is awaiting a possible death penalty verdict after being accused of sharing material considered blasphemous on social media, a charge he denies.

Authorities in the Pakistani capital arrested Saleem on Nov. 29, 2022, after allegations emerged that he shared online content viewed as offensive to Islam. He now faces multiple criminal charges under the country’s blasphemy laws and cybercrime legislation, legal provisions that can carry the death penalty if a court finds him guilty.

The case has reached a critical stage after hearings in Saleem’s trial concluded before a special court in Islamabad, while proceedings continue for a co-accused, identified as Muhammad Umair, according to the legal advocacy group ADF International, which is supporting Saleem’s defense through allied lawyers in Pakistan.

A verdict is expected after hearings related to the co-accused are completed.

Saleem, now 34, was 31 at the time of his arrest and has remained in prison while the case moved through the courts. His bail requests were rejected by lower courts and later by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which also ordered the trial court to expedite proceedings, the advocacy group reports. 

Prosecutors charged Saleem under several sections of Pakistan’s criminal law. These include Section 295-A of the Pakistan Penal Code for intending to outrage religious feelings, Section 295-B for alleged desecration of the Quran and Section 295-C for insulting the Prophet Muhammad, one of the most severe blasphemy provisions because a conviction can carry the death penalty.

Authorities also charged him under Section 298-A of the penal code, which concerns derogatory remarks regarding holy personages, and under Section 11 of Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act of 2016, a law governing cyber offenses that includes provisions related to inciting interfaith hatred.

Saleem has denied the accusations and maintains that he did not download or share any blasphemous content online.

According to ADF International, a network called the “Blasphemy Business Group” fabricates blasphemy accusations to entrap people for blackmail and extortion, and the group is allegedly headed by Rao Abdur Rahim, the lead prosecution counsel in Saleem’s case.

The network allegedly includes lawyers and individuals who coordinate with the cybercrime unit of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency, the national body responsible for investigating federal offenses, including cybercrime. Such coordination has enabled cases based on online activity to move into the court system, ADF International said.

Pakistan’s National Commission on Human Rights has reported that more than 450 individuals have been targeted in similar schemes involving fabricated blasphemy accusations.

Blasphemy allegations have long carried significant legal and social consequences in Pakistan, where the relevant sections of the penal code criminalize actions or speech considered insulting to Islam or the Prophet Muhammad. Convictions under Section 295-C, in particular, can result in the death penalty.

Statistics cited by the Lahore-based Centre for Social Justice indicate that 1,949 blasphemy cases were registered in Pakistan between 1987 and 2021. The group reported that those accused during that period included 928 Muslims, 643 Ahmadis, 281 Christians and 42 Hindus, along with 55 individuals whose faith was not specified.

The data also show that 84 people accused of blasphemy were killed outside the legal process before courts issued final verdicts.