Pakistan sentences man to death in student’s lynching

HARIPUR, Pakistan – A Pakistani court has sentenced a man to death over the lynching of a 23-year-old university student who was falsely accused of blasphemy.

Mohammad Mashal Khan was killed by a mob on his university campus in April 2016 over rumours that he had shared blasphemous content on social media, which later proved to be unfounded.

Blasphemy against Islam is punishable by death in Pakistan, and mere allegations are often enough to provoke mob violence.

An anti-terrorism court on Wednesday sentenced the man to death and handed life sentences to five other people in connection to the lynching. Another 25 people were sentenced to four years, and 26 others were acquitted for lack of evidence.