‘Pakistani authorities must immediately and unconditionally release a university lecturer being held in solitary confinement for Facebook posts, Amnesty International said today.
Junaid Hafeez, a 33-year-old lecturer at Bahauddin Zakariya University in the city of Multan, was charged with blasphemy over social media posts, and has been in solitary confinement since June 2014.
For the past year, the conditions of his solitary confinement have been described as “extreme”. He is due to appear again in court tomorrow (Tuesday 1 October).
Currently, Hafeez’s case is with the eighth judge since his trial began, with previous judges being transferred to other cases. There have been severe delays in the proceedings and, in May 2014, his counsel Rashid Rehman was murdered in his office after receiving threats in open court for defending Junaid.’
Read more here: Pakistan: Lecturer accused of blasphemy for Facebook posts must be released
Junaid Hafeez, a 33-year-old lecturer at Bahauddin Zakariya University in the city of Multan, was charged with blasphemy over social media posts, and has been in solitary confinement since June 2014.
For the past year, the conditions of his solitary confinement have been described as “extreme”. He is due to appear again in court tomorrow (Tuesday 1 October).
Currently, Hafeez’s case is with the eighth judge since his trial began, with previous judges being transferred to other cases. There have been severe delays in the proceedings and, in May 2014, his counsel Rashid Rehman was murdered in his office after receiving threats in open court for defending Junaid.’
Read more here: Pakistan: Lecturer accused of blasphemy for Facebook posts must be released