21 August 2017

Christian boy in Pakistan faces death penalty for allegedly burning Quran

A teenage boy from the minority Christian community in Pakistan has been arrested over blasphemy charges for allegedly burning pages of the Quran. Asif Massih, 18, could be awarded a death penalty if convicted of blasphemy.

Massih was arrested on the night of 12 August after a complaint was registered against him. The complaint stated that he burnt a few pages of the Muslim holy book outside a shrine in Jam Kayk Chattha village in central Punjab province.

"He is in jail now," Muhammad Asgharat, a police official at the Alipur Chattha police station, told Al Jazeera.

Another police official said that hundreds of people had gathered at the time of his arrest. People were demanding the accused to be handed over to them. [International Business Times] Read more