Taimoor Raza
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Pakistan
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Shi'a
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Sentence: Death
Date of Detainment: April//2016
Date of Sentencing: June/10/2017
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: No
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Religious Figures) Discussing Religion & Religious Texts Online Activity
Nature of Charges: Blasphemy Hate Speech Terrorism
Taimoor Raza
Extra Bio Info:
Taimoor Raza is imprisoned and sentenced to death for blasphemy.
In April 2016, authorities arrested Raza after he was accused of insulting various Islamic figures on Facebook. Authorities charged him with "insulting the Prophet Muhammad" (Sec. 295-C PPC), among others.
In June 2017, an anti-terrorism court in Bahawalpur, Punjab, sentenced Raza to death.
Publicly Available Information:
- 2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Pakistan U.S. Department of State
- USCIRF Policy Update: Pakistan's Blasphemy Law October 2019
- "Man sentenced to death for ‘blasphemy’ on Facebook in Pakistan" The Washington Post
- "Pakistan: man sentenced to death for blasphemy on Facebook" The Guardian
- "Shiite Muslim sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy" Associated Press (AP)
- "Pakistani Court Issues Death Sentence For 'Blasphemous' Facebook Post" Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
- "First death sentence handed to man for blasphemy on social media" Dawn