Death Sentence Issued for “Shagufta Kairani,” Pakistani Christian Citizen, on Charges of Insulting Islam
A death sentence has been issued against “Shagufta Kairani,” a Christian citizen of Pakistan, on charges of insulting Islamic sanctities.
“Shagufta Kairani” is a Pakistani Christian citizen against whom an individual named “Shiraz Ahmadfauqui” filed a complaint. He alleged that Shagufta had posted an insulting message regarding Islamic sanctities. However, this Christian citizen has denied the allegations, stating that she did not write the text in question and forwarded it to a WhatsApp group without even reading it.
Shagufta Kairani is a nurse who was a member of several interfaith groups on WhatsApp. In these groups, she shared Gospel messages and God’s word with Muslims and also defended her Christian faith. “Shiraz Ahmadfauqui,” who filed the complaint against her, managed one of these groups called Pure Discussions. It is worth noting that the message posted by Shagufta was shared four years ago, and her trial has lasted more than three years.
Shagufta is 30 years old and a mother of four children. She was sentenced to death by the High Court of Islamabad on Thursday, September 19. Her defense lawyer, “Raena Abdulhamid,” stated that she will file an appeal against the court’s verdict and also requested clemency from the country’s president for her client.
Human rights defenders in Pakistan have stated that the criminal law regarding “insulting the Prophet of Islam” is used more frequently against non-Muslim religious minorities. The majority of Pakistan’s population is Muslim, and insulting religious sanctities in this country is a highly sensitive matter, and even a single accusation or insult to Islamic sanctities can lead to people being killed by extremists.
