Gender: Female

Current Location: Central Jail Adiala, Rawalpindi

Perpetrator: Pakistan

Religion or Belief: Christian – Unspecified/Other

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Date of Detainment: July/29/2021

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Religious Figures) Online Activity

Nature of Charges: Aid & Abetment Blasphemy Hate Speech

Shagufta Kiran

Extra Bio Info:

Shagufta Kiran is detained for alleged blasphemy.

In July 2021, authorities arrested Kiran after she was accused of forwarding content deemed blasphemous via WhatsApp in September 2020. Police reportedly raided her family's home, seizing their electronics and arresting her, her husband, and two sons. Authorities released her family members, who went into hiding, but kept Shagufta. Authorities charged her with "insulting the Prophet Muhammad," "uttering words with deliberate intent to outrage religious feelings," "using derogatory remarks in respect of holy personages," abetment, and "inciting interfaith hatred" (Secs. 295, 298, 109 PPC; Sec. 11 Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016). Authorities confined her to Central Jail Adiala, Rawalpindi.

Publicly Available Information:

Additional Name(s): Salma Tanvir

Gender: Female

Perpetrator: Pakistan

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: Death

Date of Detainment: September//2013

Date of Sentencing: September/27/2021

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Religious Figures)

Nature of Charges: Blasphemy

Salma Tanveer

Extra Bio Info:

Salma Tanveer is imprisoned and sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy. 

In September 2013, authorities arrested Tanveer, a school principal, after she was accused of distributing writings that challenged Islam's prophets and claimed to be a prophet herself. Authorities charged her with "insulting the Prophet Muhammad" (Sec. 295-C PPC).

In September 2021, authorities sentenced Tanveer to death and fined her 50,000 rupees.

Publicly Available Information:

Additional Name(s): Navish Arooj

Gender: Female

Perpetrator: Pakistan

Religion or Belief: Christian – Catholic

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Date of Detainment: April/9/2021

Date of Release: September/23/2021

Current Status: Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Religious Texts)

Nature of Charges: Blasphemy

Newsh Arooj

Extra Bio Info:

Newsh Arooj was detained for blasphemy.

On April 9, 2021, authorities arrested Arooj, who is a nurse, and her coworker, Mariyum Lal, after an incident at their workplace. According to reporting, the two were accused of "desecrating the Qur'an" (Sec. 295-B PPC) after removing decorations and stickers from a wall inside Civil Hospital in Faisalabad, Punjab. Police reportedly detained the two after a mob gathered around the hospital demanding their punishment.

In late April 2021, four UK parliamentarians called for the dropping of charges against Arooj. 

On September 23, 2021, Arooj was released on bail.

Arooj is reportedly engaged.

Related Cases: Mariyum Lal

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