Critical, amusing or derogatory statements about companions or relatives of the Islamic prophet Mohammed are to be punished even more severely in Pakistan in the future. On January 17, Pakistan’s National Assembly passed an amendment to the law, which stipulates that such offenses will be punishable by a minimum of ten years’ imprisonment instead of the current three years. The country’s Human Rights Commission received news of the impending tightening with “deep concern,” fearing that it would put even more pressure on oppressed religious minorities. Although this contradicts the South Asian state’s constitution, under the new version the right to be released on bail after appropriate judicial review is also to be revoked.

Against the background of the new amendment, IGFM is specifically concerned about the imprisoned Pakistani Christian Zafar Bhatti. Without having already entered into force, the law may already be having an effect on the decision-making of the competent court. The now 59-year-old founder of a Christian aid organization was charged on July 11, 2012, by the representative of a radical Islamic group with insulting the mother of the Prophet Mohammed in a short message sent by cell phone. Although this could have earned him a maximum of three years in prison under the law still in force, on January 3, 2022, the court in Rawalpindi ordered the death penalty in the second instance. The IGFM fears that Bhatti will be made an example of, especially since he has already been mistreated and threatened with death during his many years in prison.

Sunny Waqas free

The Pakistani Christian Sunny Waqas, “Prisoner of the Month May 2020”, was released from prison on bail on 3 February. The competent court, the High Court of Bahalwapur (Punjab province), had issued a corresponding order on 17 January. The court demanded as bail to take out a mortgage with an equivalent value of about 13,500 euros, for which an interest of more than 2,000 euros was immediately due. Islamists threatened the defence; other lawyers even physically attacked one of the defence lawyers in the courthouse. The student had been arrested on 29 June 2019 while playing cricket. A few days earlier, there had been an argument with fellow players. It later turned out that one of them reported the Christian for allegedly insulting the Islamic prophet Mohammed, which is punishable by death in Pakistan.