ICC Note:

After Pakistani officials arrested three bloggers of blasphemy on Friday, security forces had to stop a radical cleric from organizing a protest to accuse five other bloggers of blasphemy. The cleric and his followers were going to demand the death penalty. Unfortunately, the cleric has promised to continue fighting to accuse bloggers perceived as posting blasphemous material online. This is a dangerous environment for minorities, especially Christians, and anyone who counters Pakistan’s Muslim-dominant ideology.

3/25/2017 Pakistan (ABC) – Three more bloggers were accused of blasphemy Friday in an Islamabad anti-terrorism court, while elsewhere in the city hundreds of security forces prevented a radical cleric from holding a protest to condemn another five bloggers, who were earlier charged with insulting Islam — an offense punishable by death in this Islamic country.

Police and government officials said the newest charges were laid against two bloggers from Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi and one from the federal capital. They were arrested earlier this week. One of the three used the alias, Allama Ayaz Nizami, and had over 12,000 followers on line, said a police official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give details of the cases against the three men.

All three were remanded into custody of Pakistan’s anti-terrorism cell for seven days while their online activity is investigated, he said.

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