International pressure is mounting against Pakistan to release a young Christian man who was unjustly sentenced to death for ‘blasphemy’.
Ehsan Shan was convicted of sharing ‘hateful content’ against Muslims simply because he posted a TikTok image of damaged pages of the Quran.
Christian organisations and human rights activists have been calling on the international community to put pressure on Pakistan.
The EU Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion has been urged to raise the case with the authorities in Islamabad.
An online petition signed by almost 100,000 people calls on the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, to intervene to secure the young man’s immediate release.
The petition says, ‘Persecution against the Christian minority is worsening around the world. The situation in Pakistan is particularly dire: Christians are constantly living in danger for simply expressing their faith. But faith should not be a death sentence!’
Blasphemy accusations are common in Pakistan. Under the country’s blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or Islamic religious figures can be sentenced to death.
