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Pakistan: Can Junaid Hafeez get relief in blasphemy case?

Junaid Hafeez, a former university lecturer and Fullbright scholar was thrown in prison 13 years ago under Pakistan's strict blasphemy laws for comments he allegedly made on Facebook. After a trial that spanned years, a court in 2019 sentenced him to death. Last week, a high court in Lahore began hearing Hafeez's appeal, raising hopes his conviction could be overturned. "I want to see my son free and back home. We are fighting a very difficult battle," Junaid Hafeez's father, Hafeez-un-Naseer, told DW.

Why it matters

The case tests Pakistan's blasphemy law enforcement and the independence of its judiciary.

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