PESHAWAR, Pakistan — An appellate court in Pakistan on Tuesday suspended the three-year jail terms handed down to 25 suspects over the lynching of a university student who was falsely accused of blasphemy, a lawyer said. Blasphemy against Islam is punishable by death in Pakistan, and the mere allegation can spark mob violence. Defence lawyer Syed Akhtar said he convinced the court to suspend his clients’ sentences and release them on bail until their appeals are heard. An anti-terrorism court earlier this month sentenced one man to death and handed life sentences to five others in the case. Those sentences are unchanged.

Source: National Post February 27, 2018 12:49 UTC