British man sentenced to death for insulting Prophet Muhammad

A Pakistani court has convicted a British man with a history of mental illness of blasphemy and sentenced him to death for insulting Islam’s Prophet.

Prosecutor Javed Gul said Mohammed Asghar had been arrested under the country’s blasphemy laws in 2010 in Rawalpindi for claiming to be the Prophet Muhammad.

Gul says a judge sentenced Asghar, who is of Pakistani origin, on Thursday.

Sarah Belal, the director of the Justice Project Pakistan, which had previously defended Asghar says he suffers from mental illness. She says they’ll appeal the conviction.

Scores have been arrested in Pakistan under the country’s harsh blasphemy laws, which rights groups say are too broad and vague. The sentence can be life in prison or death, although the death penalty is rarely carried out in Pakistan.

 

via@NYDaily