Pakistan sentences student to death for WhatsApp messages with negative Muhammed depiction

A 17-year-old received a life sentence in connection to the Whatsapp messages.

 Police officers stand at the entrance of the district Judicial Complex in Islamabad, Pakistan November 28, 2023.  (photo credit: REUTERS/FAYAZ AZIZ)
Police officers stand at the entrance of the district Judicial Complex in Islamabad, Pakistan November 28, 2023.
(photo credit: REUTERS/FAYAZ AZIZ)

A 22-year-old student in Pakistan was sentenced to death by a court in Pakistan for sharing photos and videos that negatively depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammed, according to multiple media reports from Sunday. A 17-year-old was also given a life sentence in connection to the case.

The Punjab Province court said that the student had shared blasphemous images and videos to outrage the religious feelings of Muslims, BBC News reported. The complaint against the student was filed in 2022 by the cybercrime unit of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

While not clear what the "obscene material" was, BBC News reported that the two young people had made content with derogatory terms used to describe the Islamic prophet and his wives.

Plaintiffs and defendants in the case

A plaintiff claimed that the materials had been sent to him from three different phone numbers, which police confirmed.

 Pakistan's national flag is mounted on a vehicle of the Chief Minister of Sindh, as a convoy of vehicles is parked during a ceremony to celebrate Independence Day, in Karachi, Pakistan August 14, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/AKHTAR SOOMRO)
Pakistan's national flag is mounted on a vehicle of the Chief Minister of Sindh, as a convoy of vehicles is parked during a ceremony to celebrate Independence Day, in Karachi, Pakistan August 14, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/AKHTAR SOOMRO)

Both the defendants deny wrongdoing, and their lawyer was cited by the BBC as having said they were “trapped in a false case.”

The father of the 22-year-old told the source that he intended to file an appeal at the Lahore High Court.