Pakistani court sentences mentally ill Briton to death for blasphemy

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Pakistani court sentences mentally ill Briton to death for blasphemy

By Katharine Houreld ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan has handed a death sentence for blasphemy to a 69-year-old Briton with a history of mental illness, even though his lawyers were barred from the courtroom partway through the trial, the law firm said on Friday. Accusations of blasphemy are surging in Muslim-majority Pakistan, according to an Islamabad-based think-tank, the Center for Research and Security Studies. Muhammad Asghar from Edinburgh was sentenced to death on Thursday, the law firm said, citing court officials in the city of Rawalpindi. The law firm asked not to be identified for fear of being targeted by extremists.

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