A Muslim woman was sentenced to death in Pakistan today for sending a text and sketches of the Prophet Muhammad, which were considered "blasphemous", to the WhatsApp messaging service.
Aneeka Ateek, 26, was arrested in May 2020 and prosecuted for posting "blasphemous content" on WhatsApp, including sketches, according to a summary of the court ruling. The verdict was announced in the city of Rawalpindi (north).
The court ordered Aneka Ateek to be "hanged", while also sentencing her to 20 years in prison. About 80 people have been jailed in Pakistan for blasphemy, half of whom have been sentenced to life in prison or at the end of their sentences, according to the US Commission on Religious Freedom.
Human rights defenders believe that blasphemy allegations are often misused to settle personal disputes. In December, an angry mob lynched and burned the Sri Lankan director of a factory in Pakistan after accusing him of blasphemy.