Forty-four people have been arrested in Pakistan after an angry mob beat a Christian couple and burned their bodies in a brick-making stove for alleged blasphemy. Some reports suggest the victims were still alive when thrown into the kiln.
The killings took place in the town of Kot Radha Kishan, 60
kilometers southwest of Lahore, the capital of Punjab province,
on Tuesday morning.
"A mob attacked a Christian couple after accusing them of
desecration of the holy Koran and later burned their bodies at a
brick kiln where they worked," Bin-Yameen, a local police
station official, told AFP.
The police only identified the victims by their first names Shama
and Shehzad, adding that they were husband and wife.
According to some Pakistani media reports, the two were still
alive when they were dragged into the stove, with some reports
even suggesting that the woman was pregnant.
Shama and Shehzad were allegedly held hostage since November 2
before being killed by the mob, who were armed with clubs.
"A mob of several dozen attacked the building where they
were," Sardar Mushtaq Gill, a Christian rights activist, was
cited by NBC News as saying. "They broke their legs so they
couldn't run and then threw them in the fire. Only some bones and
hair were found at the site."
The killing took place in the presence of police, who were unable
to stop the raging crowd, Gill added.
The Punjabi authorities launched an investigation into the crime,
ordering security beefed up in the province’s Christian
communities.
On Wednesday, the police detained 44 people in connection with
the attack, which they described as "a local issue incited by the
mullah of a local mosque."
“No particular sectarian group or religious outfit was behind
the attack,” Jawad Qamar, regional police chief, told
Reuters.
Human rights watchdog Amnesty International said that those
responsible for the Punjab murder “must be brought to
justice,” urging Pakistani authorities to increase
protection of religious minorities.
"This vicious mob killing is just the latest manifestation of
the threat of vigilante violence which anyone can face in
Pakistan after a blasphemy accusation – although religious
minorities are disproportionately vulnerable," said David
Griffiths, Amnesty International's deputy Asia Pacific director.
READ MORE:‘Blasphemy’ revenge: Over 100 Pakistani
Christians homes set ablaze
Blasphemy is considered a crime punishable by death in Pakistan,
where the majority of the population is Muslim.
On many occasions, accusations have led to mob violence against
the country’s Christian minority.
Even when they are brought to court, blasphemy charges can be
very hard to fight because the local law doesn’t provide a clear
definition of the offense.
"Whoever, with the deliberate intention of wounding the
religious feelings of any person, utters any word or makes any
sound in the hearing of that person or makes any gesture in the
sight of that person or places any object in the sight of that
person, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description
for a term which may extend to one year, or with a fine, or with
both," Pakistan’s criminal code says.
Last month, a mentally ill British man who was sentenced to death
for blasphemy was shot by a prison guard in his cell.
A local Christian woman, Asia Bibi, is currently awaiting
execution after being found guilty of making blasphemous remarks
about the Prophet Mohammed.