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Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar blasphemy case

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Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar are a Pakistani Christian couple who in 2014 were convicted of blasphemy by a Pakistani court, receiving a sentence of death by hanging. In 2021, the convictions were overturned.[1][2][3]

Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar
شفقت عمانوایل اور شگفتہ کوثر
Born
Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar
NationalityPakistani
Known forSentenced to death for blasphemy

The couple

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Married couple Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar were living in poverty with their four children in a mission compound of Gojra Church in Toba Tek Singh District in Punjab, Pakistan. Kausar was the only working person in the family. Emmanuel was confined to a wheelchair, due to an accident in 2004 that resulted him in suffering a spinal injury, causing him to be paralyzed below the chest.[4] According to Shagufta, the injury was caused by a stray bullet that hit him.[5]

Prosecution

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In July 2013, Emmanuel and Kausar were arrested for sending a text message that was deemed blasphemous against the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need, Shagufta stated the following: "In the police station, we were tortured. The officers told my husband that if he didn't confess, they would strip me naked and make me run in the street. The police also hanged Shafqat upside down and beat him with the back of a rifle." Under severe pressure, Shafqat confessed, even though they were both innocent.[6]

On 4 April 2014, the illiterate couple[7][8][9][10][11][12][13] were given death sentences for sending the message in English. Despite the couple being illiterate, the additional session judge of Toba Tek Singh sentenced them death on 4 April 2014. They are the first Pakistani couple to have been given the death sentence for blasphemy. The couple said that the complainants’ lawyers kept proclaiming Koranic references that called for death to blasphemers. Even the prosecuting attorneys told the judge that if he will not give them death sentence, they would be ready to become ghazi (Muslim warriors), like Ilm-ud-din and Mumtaz Qadri.[citation needed] Due to the high risk to the couple's security, the whole trial was concluded inside the boundary walls of the prison. In the beginning, the couple were defended by the Farrukh Saif Foundation and their Partner Emergency Rescue Committee. They filed the appeal in the Apex Court against the death sentence. According to Shagufta, neither she nor her husband were allowed to testify, and their lawyers were not allowed to make their closing arguments.[14]

While on death row, Shagufta was offered the possibility of converting to Islam and possibly having her sentence commuted. "Several times I was told that if I converted to Islam my death sentence would be turned into life in prison, and that eventually I would be released. I always said no", she claimed, in an interview with Aid to the Church in Need.[6] At one point she was in the same prison as Asia Bibi. Their cells were close together. "For a while Asia Bibi, who was also sentenced to death on false charges of blasphemy, was my neighbour on death row in Multan. Whenever we met, we used to pray together, console each other and renew our firm faith in Jesus Christ. At Christmas time we would share cake with other Muslim and Christian prisoners. When I heard that Asia was set free, my heart was filled with joy, and I was convinced that one day I too would be released".[5]

Appeal against the death sentence

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On 8 April 2014, the Farrukh Saif Foundation[15][16][17][18][19][20] filed appeal against the death sentence of Emmanuel and Kausar. Eventually, the family decided to switch organizations. With support from a coalition of various Christian international organizations from the West, they hired the Pakistani lawyer and human rights defender Saif-Ul-Malook, who worked tirelessly for their cause.[1] Saif-Ul-Malook also represented Asia Bibi and secured her acquittal on 31 October 2018.[2]

In April 2021, the European Parliament passed a motion condemning Pakistan for failing to protect religious minorities, focusing on the case of Ms Kausar and Mr Emmanuel.[3]

On 3 June 2021, the Lahore High Court overturned the convictions due to lack of evidence.[21] Shagufta, Shafqat, and their family remain eternally grateful for the efforts of Members of the European Parliament in advocating for their case and demanding their freedom. After their acquittal, the couple were unable to remain in Pakistan, due to lack of safety, and were given asylum in a European country.[6]

Book regarding her experience

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In 2024, Shagufta Kausar published her book, Under Threat of Death: A Mother's Faith in the Face of Injustice, Imprisonment, and Persecution, co-written with author Eugene Bach and available on Amazon. The book recounts Shagufta’s experiences growing up in Pakistan, her arrest, and her time in prison. She shares how her faith as a Christian and the comfort she received from God sustained her through these trials.

She also highlighted the important role her brother, Joseph, played in the fight for her freedom and eventual acquittal.

References

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  1. ^ "Pakistani couple get death sentences for blasphemy". BBC News. 5 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  2. ^ "ASIA/PAKISTAN - Legal battle after the death sentence of a Christian couple for blasphemous SMS". Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  3. ^ "Christian Couple in Pakistan Sentenced to Death for 'Blasphemy'". 5 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  4. ^ "Christian Couple Victims of Blasphemy Laws". 5 March 2016 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ a b ACN (6 May 2022). "Pakistan: "I spent eight years on death row after being falsely accused of blasphemy"". ACN International. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  6. ^ a b c ACN (6 May 2022). "Pakistan: "I spent eight years on death row after being falsely accused of blasphemy"". ACN International. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Christians in Pakistan sentenced to death over a text". Telegraph.co.uk. 7 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  8. ^ "Illiterate Christian Couple Sentenced to Death for Blasphemous Text Messages in Pakistan". Christian Post. 8 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  9. ^ "Couple gets death over 'blasphemous' text message". The Express Tribune. 5 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  10. ^ "Christian couple get death sentence in blasphemy case". Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  11. ^ "Pakistan Sentences Christian Couple To Death". Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  12. ^ "House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 28 Apr 2014 (pt 0006)". Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  13. ^ "Motion for a resolution on Pakistan: recent cases of persecution - B7-0401/2014". Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  14. ^ ACN (6 May 2022). "Pakistan: "I spent eight years on death row after being falsely accused of blasphemy"". ACN International. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  15. ^ "International Appeal for Justice and Compassion: The Heartbreaking Case of Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagfuta Kausar: By Farrukh Saif Foundation". 5 March 2016.
  16. ^ "FSF -Filed the appeal against the Death sentence of Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kasuar". Farrukh Saif Foundation. 8 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  17. ^ "Pakistan Christian Post". Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  18. ^ "Agenzia Fides News". Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  19. ^ "You are being redirected..." 5 March 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  20. ^ Pakistan Today, International Christian Concern, Christian Post (25 February 2016). "Illiterate Christians Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy". The Voice of the Martyrs Canada. Retrieved 17 April 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ "Pakistan overturns Christian couple's blasphemy death sentences". BBC News. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
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