6 handed death penalty in Pakistan for lynching Sri Lankan factory manager

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - A Pakistani court on Monday handed the death penalty to six defendants found guilty for involvement in lynching a Sri Lankan factory manager last year, according to local media and the court record.

Another seven were sentenced to life imprisonment, while some 76 accused were given two-year jail terms over the incident that occurred in the northeastern city of Sialkot, local broadcaster Geo News reported.

Priyantha Kumara was beaten to death on blasphemy allegations and his body publicly burned by a mob last December in Sialkot, a city in the northeastern province of Punjab about 200 kilometers (125 miles) southeast of the capital Islamabad.

A total of 118 suspects, including the key accused, were arrested and booked under terrorism charges by police with the help of footage of the scene. Of them, 89 were indicted and tried at a high-security prison in Lahore, the capital of Punjab.

The convicts can appeal the judgement in the high court within next seven days.

Media reports quoting officials said the factory workers accused Kumara of tearing down posters bearing the name of the Prophet Muhammad.

The incident was widely denounced by both from rights groups and religious parties, demanding stern action against those responsible.

A highly sensitive issue in the Muslim-majority country, blasphemy charges carry the death penalty in Pakistan, but many people have been killed by mobs without their cases ever making it to court.

Rights groups believe Pakistan's blasphemy law is often used to settle personal scores against religious minorities, while its supporters contend that the law prevents vigilante action.

Currently, over 600 blasphemy cases are pending in Pakistani courts, more than 400 of which involve Muslims, according to official records.