Shagufta Kiran
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:
- "Christian woman still jailed in Islamabad on blasphemy charges after more than nine months" Asia News
- The Voiceless Victims of Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws International Christian Concern (ICC)
- "Islamic Extremists Charge Christian Woman with Blasphemy" Morning Star News
- "A difficult journey to safety" The News On Sunday
- "Another Christian Woman Accused of Blasphemy for Forwarding a Text" CLAAS-UK