Digital Blasphemy in Pakistan: When Facebook Posts, WhatsApp Messages and Screenshots Become Criminal Evidence

Digital blasphemy in Pakistan has transformed how accusations arise, spread and become evidence in criminal proceedings. Pakistan’s blasphemy controversy has entered the smartphone era. Increasingly, allegations involve: Facebook posts, WhatsApp messages, TikTok or other social-media content, photographs, screenshots, SIM cards, and forwarded digital material. The technology is new. The potential punishment remains extraordinarily severe. Junaid… Continue reading Digital Blasphemy in Pakistan: When Facebook Posts, WhatsApp Messages and Screenshots Become Criminal Evidence

Judges Under Threat: Can Blasphemy Cases Be Decided Without Fear?

Judges in blasphemy cases in Pakistan can face threats and intimidation that raise serious concerns about judicial independence and fair trials. Judges are expected to decide cases according to evidence and law. But what happens when acquitting a defendant may place the judge in danger? This is one of the least discussed dimensions of Pakistan’s… Continue reading Judges Under Threat: Can Blasphemy Cases Be Decided Without Fear?

Defending the Accused Can Cost Your Life: The Lawyers in Pakistan’s Blasphemy Cases

Lawyers defending blasphemy cases in Pakistan can face intimidation, threats and even deadly violence simply for representing the accused. The right to a lawyer is one of the foundations of criminal justice. But in Pakistan’s most sensitive blasphemy proceedings, accepting a defendant’s case can expose the lawyer to threats. Sometimes the consequences have been fatal.… Continue reading Defending the Accused Can Cost Your Life: The Lawyers in Pakistan’s Blasphemy Cases

Mental Illness, Intellectual Disability and Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws

Mental disability and blasphemy laws in Pakistan raise serious questions about intent, criminal responsibility and the protection of vulnerable defendants. What happens when a person accused of deliberately insulting religion may not fully understand their own behaviour? This question has arisen repeatedly in Pakistani blasphemy proceedings. The International Commission of Jurists has specifically documented the… Continue reading Mental Illness, Intellectual Disability and Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws