ICC Note: A Christian youth in Lahore, Pakistan, has been accused of posting allegedly blasphemous content about Muslim holy places on social media. Following the accusation, hundreds of religious activists swarmed the youth’s neighborhood and demanded his arrest. False accusations of blasphemy are common in Pakistan, especially against religious minorities. Communal violence often follows.

02/20/2018 Pakistan (The Indian Express) – Hundreds of activists of religious parties surrounded a Christian colony in Lahore, demanding arrest of a Christian man who allegedly posted blasphemous content on the social media, police said on Tuesday. The Christian youth was accused of allegedly posting blasphemous content about Muslim holy places.

The activists of Tehreek-e-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA) and other religious parties gathered in Shahdara area in Lahore and surrounded the Christian families living there, demanding them to hand over the man to them. They said they would not leave the place till the youth hiding there was handed over to them.

“After over 12-hour standoff, we managed to persuade the protesters to disperse as the suspect had been arrested and duly booked under relevant sections of the Pakistan Penal Code for committing blasphemy,” a senior police officer, Ali Raza, said. An FIR has been registered against the Christian youth.

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