
Over a dozen civil society members of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable are demanding that the Pakistani government release a Christian couple sentenced to death for blasphemy.
Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar were originally sentenced in 2014 after a local imam named Muhammad Hussain accused them of sending texts insulting the Islamic prophet Muhammad, reports the International Christian Concern. Hussain claims he received the blasphemous messages from an unknown number during prayers. The couple continues to deny the allegations.
After five years in prison, Emmanuel and Kausar are finally expecting a court hearing soon, according to the Religious Freedom Institute (RFI).
The RFI says the couple’s case is “marred by irregularities,” including the allegedly blasphemous messages being in English even though Emmanuel and Kausar don’t speak English. And according to Pakistan Today, the plaintiff’s attorneys publicly threatened violence if the court didn’t find the couple guilty.
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SOURCE: Charisma News