Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned of the stabbing death of an under-trial prisoner in Muzzafar Garh, Pakistan. The prisoner, in police custody at the time of his death, had been charged with blasphemy following an accusation made by a seminary and government official. No person has yet been charged for this crime and the police, it would seem, are doing their utmost to protect the suspects.
The under-trial prisoner, Mr. Abdul Sattar Gopang was stabbed on 16 June 2006 while in the premises of the District and Session Court of Muzzafargarh. This it is alleged was carried out by five interns of seminary, Mr. Maulana Abdul Rasheed. The five attackers continued to stab the prisoner until they were certain of his death. Two policemen who tried to overpower the attackers were injured. Despite there being hundreds of policemen present at the time, none were able to capture the culprits. It was only with the intervention of bystanders that two of the attackers were captured and handed over to the police.
Mr. Gopang was a contractor of Octroi (toll tax) and worked as a collector for the union council in Jatoi town, Muzzafar Garh. Mr. Rasheed, in charge of the seminary and the office bearer of Alami Majlis Tauhafuz-e-Khatme-e Nabuwat had not been paying his toll tax and had verbally threatened Mr. Gopang when asked to do so. On March 13 Mr. Rasheed again refused to pay the toll tax and immediately went to the police and filed a case of blasphemy against Mr. Gopang. However, there was no basis to this accusation and Mr. Rasheed knew that Mr. Gopang would be released in a matter of days. He therefore began telling local men that they would go to heaven if they killed this man for having committed blasphemy.
Mr. Gopangs killing is the second incident of its kind in southern Punjab province in Pakistan in the past week. On June 15 a 60-year-old retired school teacher named Mohammad Sadiq was killed by a large group of people allegedly for having committed blasphemy.
The AHRC is deeply alarmed at the continual abuse of the Blasphemy Laws (295-B, 295-C, 298-B, 298-C) present in the Constitution of Pakistan against innocent individuals. This is happening largely because of the ready acceptance of blasphemy-related accusations. These acts are continually being carried out and illustrate an utter disrespect for people, their rights and their fundamental freedoms. Intervention is therefore essential so that this grave crime can be brought to an end.
The above are only two examples of how the blasphemy law has been abused for fundamentally malicious purposes by the clerics and the seminaries with the connivance of the police. Owing to the nexus between area clerics and the police together with the governments policies of promoting religious sentiments, the police are being overly receptive to the accusations made by religious persons, despite knowing that they may have no merit. The clerics corrupt and fraudulent conduct demonstrates their freedom to manipulate situations and people for the benefit of them and them only.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the relevant authorities listed below condemning the killing of Mr. Gopang. Please also highlight that fabricated charges as laid against Mr. Gopang and the misuse of power by seminaries such as Mr. Rasheed are a common occurrence in Pakistan and must be stopped.
Automated email letters can be sent by the AHRC Urgent Appeals on-line support system. To support this appeal please refer to http://www.ahrchk.net/support.php?ua=UA-196-2006. For those contacts without an email address, we ask that you still write a letter and post or fax this. If you have any problems or questions using this system, please feel free to contact us at ua@ahrchk.org.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ___________,
PAKISTAN: Under-trial prisoner killed following fabricated blasphemy charges having been laid against him
I write to condemn the heinous killing of a man who had had fabricated blasphemy charges laid against him following an accusation made by a seminary and government official. No person has yet been charged for this crime and the police, it would seem, are doing their utmost to protect the suspects.
The under-trial prisoner, Mr. Abdul Sattar Gopang was stabbed repeatedly on 16 June 2006 while in the premises of the District and Session Court of Muzzafargarh. This it is alleged was carried out by five interns of seminary, Mr. Maulana Abdul Rasheed. Despite there being hundreds of policemen present at the time, none were able to capture the culprits. It was only with the intervention of bystanders that two of the attackers were captured and handed over to the police.
Mr. Gopang was a contractor of Octroi (toll tax) and worked as a collector for the union council in Jatoi town, Muzzafar Garh. Mr. Rasheed, in charge of the seminary and the office bearer of Alami Majlis Tauhafuz-e-Khatme-e Nabuwat had not been paying his toll tax and had verbally threatened Mr. Gopang when asked to do so. On March 13 Mr. Rasheed again refused to pay the toll tax and immediately went to the police and filed a case of blasphemy against Mr. Gopang.
However, there was no basis to this accusation and Mr. Rasheed knew that Mr. Gopang would be released in a matter of days. He therefore began telling local men that they would go to heaven if they killed this man for having committed blasphemy.
I am aware that Mr. Gopangs killing is the second incident of its kind in southern Punjab province in Pakistan in the past week. On June 15 a 60-year-old retired school teacher named Mohammad Sadiq was killed by a large group of people allegedly for having committed blasphemy.
I am deeply concerned at the continual abuse of the Blasphemy Laws (295-B, 295-C, 298-B, 298-C) present in the Constitution of Pakistan against innocent individuals. This is happening largely because of the ready acceptance of blasphemy-related accusations. These acts are continually being carried out and illustrate an utter disrespect for people, their rights and their fundamental freedoms. Intervention is therefore essential so that the misuse of this law can be brought to an end.
The above are only two examples of how the blasphemy law has been abused for fundamentally malicious purposes by the clerics and the seminaries with the connivance of the police. Owing to the nexus between area clerics and the police together with the governments policies of promoting religious sentiments, the police are being overly receptive to the accusations made by religious persons, despite knowing that they may have no merit. The clerics corrupt and fraudulent conduct demonstrates their freedom to manipulate situations and people for the benefit of them and them only.
This situation is unacceptable and I trust that you will intervene to help rectify this. An investigation should be conducted into Mr. Gopangs death and all persons who were involved in it must be brought before a court of law to answer to the allegations made against them. Sentencing should follow for those found guilty of having committed crimes.
The fabricated charges laid against Mr. Gopang and the misuse of power by seminaries such as Mr. Rasheed are a common occurrence in Pakistan and must be stopped. I trust that the Government of Pakistan will acknowledge this reality and intervene accordingly.
Yours sincerely,
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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. General Pervez Musharraf
President
Presidents Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1422, 4768/ 920 1893 or 1835
Email: (please see – http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/WTPresidentMessage.aspx)
2. Mr. Muhammad Wasi Zafar
Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights,
S Block,
Pakistan Secretariat,
Islamabad,
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 920 2628
E-Mail: minister@molaw.gov.pk
3. Mr. Justice Iftekhar Choudhry
Chief Justice of Pakistan
Supreme Court building
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: + 92 51 9213452
4. Lt. General Khalid Maqbool
Governor of Punjab
Governor House
Mall Road, Lahore, Punjab
PAKISTAN
Email: governor.sectt@punjab.gov.pk
5. Choudhry Pervez Ihhahi
Chief Minister Punjab
Chief Minister House
Lahore
PAKISTAN
6. Mr. Salman Siddique
Governor House
Mall Road
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Fax 92 42 732 4481
Email: chiefsecy@punjab.gov.pk
7. Home Secretary
Government of Punjab
Punjab Secretariat
Ravi Road
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Email: home@punjab.gov.pk
8. Secretary of Law and Parliamentary Government of Punjab
Punjab Secretariat
Ravi Road
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Email: law@punjab.gov.pk
9. Mrs. Saira Karim
Joint Secretary for Law, Justice and Human Rights
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel: + 92 51 920 2819
Fax: + 92 51 920 3119
10. Prof. Philip Alston
Special Rapporteur on Extra-judicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions
Attn: Lydie Ventre
Room 3-016
OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 9155
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTN: SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR EXECUTIONS)
Email: lventre@ohchr.org / urgent-action@ohchr.org
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)
